The first two editions of the International Citizens Education Forum focused successively on university pedagogy and teacher training (1st edition, March 2017, Sfax ,Tunisia) and on the governance and quality of education systems (2nd edition, March 2019, Hammamet, Tunisia). This third edition is organized in a process of continuity of reflection, analysis and suggestion and in a logic of collective action (Boudon (1973), Olson (1978) and Amblard et al. (2005)) placing the learner in the center of the process (Delors, 1996; Morin, 1999; Unesco, 2015). Education is today the focus of all concerns in the world: social inequalities, equal opportunities and social justice are currently under debate (Dubet, 2011, 2021). Previously perceived as a pusher for integration into society, citizenship and a culture steeped in progress, school (like the university) is equated today, for a greater number of individuals, to an instrument of inequity, exclusion, humiliation and stigmatization (Costosero, 2014, MSS, 2018, Dubet, 2020, OECD, 2020). So, as the UN argues, we face a risk of preventing humanity from harnessing the enormous potential of education and undermining decades of progress while exacerbating stubborn inequalities (Guterres, 2020). The years 2020 and 2021, with the health, economic and social crisis linked to Covid-19, have taught us that there is an urgent need for an overhaul (re-invoking reflection on the foundations and the purpose of education in a renewed vision of the world), remediation (updating and building various educational paths and educational scenarios) and restructuring (rethinking an educational architecture under the aegis of ergonomics and techno-structural design: organizational environment, technologies and conditions educational). It is therefore, more than ever, a necessity to face up a major challenge which consists in reforming the education systems in order to train responsible, alert citizens, capable of integrating the work environment, of carrying out projects and of evolving in a highly competitive and rapidly changing socioeconomic world (ACE, 2021) which requires sustainable and transferable skills (Dujardin, 2013). The Forum team, reinforced by the success of the two previous editions, is firmly convinced in the construction of an educational system that is both modern and anchored in its cultural heritage, based on a living and dynamic democracy, open to participation citizenship and diversity, through accessible, equitable, universal, quality and inclusive education.
The third edition of the International Citizens Education Forum is designed in line with the two previous editions. The place of the learner will be highlighted and at the center of the activities of reflection, exchange and sharing of research results or reports of experiences during conferences, scientific communications, posters, round tables and exhibitions of innovative tools. More specifically, this third edition aims to propose the formulation of articulated observations, results of strategic diagnoses and recommendations of potential transformations, carriers of social justice around actions to reduce educational inequalities, dropout, school and university failure, employability of young and old (as well as masters and doctorate holders). Also, the organization of the axes of this Forum aims to generate diverse contributions (academic and experiential), relevant (significant for the actors and of citizen interest) with reflexive, innovative and practical aims (channeling the reflection and proposing avenues of improvement).
From this perspective, the central theme of the Forum largely invites us to question several interdependent dimensions by drawing on interdisciplinarity and transversality crossing through the various axes. Speakers can, among other things, address questions such as: What mission should the different levels of education (including preschool) fulfill? How to orient educational policies and with what educational project? How should we understand social inequalities and educational inequalities? What are the political and socio-economic factors that influence these inequalities? What are we proposing to breathe new life into learners and concretely reduce social and educational inequalities? What observations can we make of both school or university dropout or failure and the unemployment of graduates? How to make the pedagogical remediation levers work? What place should we give to the guidance-oriented approach to give meaning to learning and stimulate academic perseverance? How can vocational training be upgraded? What do we suggest to improve the skills and employability of young people and adults? What type of learner do we want to develop? Can entrepreneurship as an activity integrated into school and university paths contribute to employability? How to train in scientific research and prepare the next generation? What analysis can be made of the practice of scientific research and its funding? How to train future professionals in the field of education or in other sectors, taking into account scientific and technological developments? What role can the evaluation of programs play in improving training and the relevance of courses? How can we look at digital and educational devices with the experience of the Covid-19 health crisis? What governance and change management strategies can we implement in this time of health crisis, social crises and digital revolutions?
Organization
To promote reflection, discussion and various concrete proposals, this Forum is divided into seven axes. Round tables will enable specialists from the Forums axes to debate in a theoretical and practical framework. The communications and posters will promote the sharing of knowledge and experiences in education between researchers and experts from different fields, and actors in the educational community and civil society. Debates, in different forms, will give the participants a chance to surpass intention toward commitment and reflection toward action.
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