Al-Tabtabaei: Education Development Requires Data-Driven Decisions and Impact Assessment

Alaa Khalifa

The Ministry of Education, in partnership with the Regional Islamic Bureau for Education, Science and Culture (ISESCO), organized a specialized regional workshop titled “Governance of General Education Assessment Institutions in Arab Countries: A Forward-Looking Perspective.” The event was held under the patronage and attendance of Minister of Education Eng. Sayed Jalal Al-Tabatabai, with the participation of the Bureau’s Director General, Dr. Abdulrahman bin Ibrahim Al-Dairis, and a select group of experts, educational leaders, and representatives of national, regional, and international institutions, via the Zoom platform. The workshop aimed to enhance Arab integration in the governance of assessment and to elevate the quality of educational systems.

In his opening address, Al-Tabatabai emphasized that educational development is no longer measured solely by the volume of programs and initiatives implemented by educational institutions, but by their ability to achieve tangible results, measure their impact, and rely on reliable indicators to shape policies and make decisions. He stressed the strategic importance of governing general education assessment institutions, which requires clear mandates, professional independence in judgments, transparency in procedures, fairness in evaluation, and reliability of results.

Al-Tabatabai stated that the workshop represents an important scientific and educational platform to discuss a strategic issue related to educational development: the governance of assessment institutions and the enhancement of their efficiency and the reliability of their results. This, he noted, supports the quality of educational policies, contributes to improving educational outcomes, and opens broader horizons for exchanging expertise and insights, thereby strengthening joint efforts to develop educational systems in Arab countries.

He added that assessment is not an end in itself, but a tool for reform and continuous improvement. Its true value lies in its ability to guide educational decision-making and produce tangible impacts within schools and classrooms, as well as in teacher performance and student learning levels. He affirmed that the success of development efforts is linked to the ability of educational institutions to leverage assessment results to improve performance and address shortcomings.

He pointed out that Kuwait views governance and institutional assessment as two fundamental pillars in the educational reform process, based on a firm conviction that educational development requires data- and evidence-based decisions that consider the actual needs of the educational field, with results subject to continuous monitoring and evaluation.

He clarified that the Ministry of Education is implementing a comprehensive reform plan that addresses the development of regulatory and administrative frameworks, enhances the efficiency of human resource allocation, promotes fairness in opportunities and procedures, and develops measurement and assessment systems. These measures aim to achieve optimal use of resources, and to raise the efficiency of educational institutions and the quality of their outputs.

He noted that, alongside reform efforts, the Ministry has prioritized digital transformation as a key enabler to strengthen institutional governance. This is being achieved through the development of an integrated, electronic digital system that serves various aspects of the educational and administrative processes, supporting transparency in procedures, fairness in the application of standards, and efficiency in monitoring and accountability.