ACEA highly praise the initiative of the Arab coalitions and networks for awarding Mr. Refat Sabbah the title of “The Education Knight of 2020

The Arab Campaign for Education for All - ACEA highly praise the initiative of the Arab coalitions and networks for awarding Mr. Refat Sabbah the title of “The Education Knight of 2020â€‌

ACEA’s board of directors and the executive staff praised the initiative of many figures, media organizations, networks, and Arab educational coalitions for granting the title of “the education knight of 2020â€‌ for Mr. Refat Sabbah. This comes in recognition for his efforts in leading the Arab civil society efforts towards supporting education, and promoting the right to education as a fundamental human right, and his pioneering role on the regional and international levels through heading the Global Campaign for Education (GCE).

ACEA believes that this moral recognition came with a sincere word from Dr. Younis Amro the President of l-Quds Open University while opening a conference conducted during Dec 2020 under the title ofâ€‌ Future of Education after COVID-19â€‌. The context of this recognition evolved by a report broadcasted by the Palestinian Radio “Raya FMâ€‌, and spreads today through the initiative of many networks and coalitions affirming that Mr. Sabbah really deserves that title.

ACEA affirms that this title is a motivation for all workers in the education field in the Arab Region to keep doing hard efforts. For that, ACEA is now considering the idea of institutionalizing the title through launching a regional competition honoring and appreciating those distinguished in the Arab Educational field.

ACEA sees that Mr. Sabbah really deserves that title. He is ambitious and self- made distinguished by farsightedness, and characterized by simplicity and modesty, does not build barriers between him and others, and he is one of the few who possessed a vision formed over the years by virtue of experience. He has faith in what he does on the educational level.

This also comes as an appreciation for his efforts during the pandemic, from his position as the General Secretary of ACEA, and General Director of Teacher Creativity Center (TCC). He helped many CSOs in recovery, and worked as well on coordinating the efforts at the regional level towards keeping interest focused on education, and the need for educational policies taking into account marginalized groups and areas. Mr. Sabbah is considered one of the few who had a vision during the pandemic that contributed to the creation of a regional educational movement.

Mr. Sabbah believes in the positive ideas, and strives to apply them. His leadership management that gives each one a space according to his skills and qualifications distinguishes him. He is confident, believes in his ideas and seeks to achieve them. Speaking about that, he “as a teacherâ€‌ managed with a group of teachers to establish an organization that gone global. This organization has its influence at the national and regional levels and contributes in formulating the educational policies. Besides, he is a popular person, although he has reached very high positions, but he has never acted as one of the elites. He remains close to people, understands their language, and hears their concerns.

At the outset of his response to this recognition and title, he said that he considers the honor he had received from his colleagues and the institutions he works with, was the most important one a person can obtain and he is so proud of it.

Mr. Refat added, “When he and his colleagues established TCC, he was not aiming to build an organization to implement activities, but instead to build an educational movement not only at the national level but goes beyond to the regional and international levels.â€‌

He continued that TCC succeeded in playing a very important role at the regional level through its belief in building an Arab Educational Movement that seeks to ensure the access of all children to an inclusive, quality and free education for life.

It is worth mentioning that Mr. Refat is currently the president of GCE after a difficult election battle at the international level. He also represents the CSOs at the international level in the coordination committee for SDG4, and the world wise committee for the future of education.