SDG 4: Quality Education

Education is critical for development. Education is by all means a human right: it is the right of each and every human being on earth to have access to quality education. It is the obligation of both businesses as well as the public sector to join effort in order to facilitate the accessibility to education to both genders. Education is an investment and as such businesses need to provide enough funding for education on all fronts in order to share in the development of their surroundings and communities which will eventually reflect positively on these businesses in the form of more profits. Religions, including Islam, are big advocated of promoting education to all and having it easily accessible.

Education is critical for development. Education is by all means a human right: it is the right of each and every human being on earth to have access to quality education. It is the obligation of both businesses as well as the public sector to join effort in order to facilitate the accessibility to education to both genders. Education is an investment and as such businesses need to provide enough funding for education on all fronts in order to share in the development of their surroundings and communities which will eventually reflect positively on these businesses in the form of more profits. Religions, including Islam, are big advocated of promoting education to all and having it easily accessible. In the holy Quran there are verses that talk about the importance of education in creating knowledge and that people that are educated could not be equated to those that are not. As such, the countries under the United Nations umbrella have gotten together to address the problems in education that many countries around the world suffer from. Many children in third world countries are deprived of this right due to many reasons amongst which is poverty, lack of local government responsibility and cultural issues. Females in many countries are completely prohibited from going to schools where they even lack the very basics of education. This is completely devastating to the overall society where these females get married at a very young age and contribute to the vicious circle of contributing to the increase of ignorance as they are unable to teach or educate their children or teach them at home. In addition, these females do not actually value education themselves as they never experienced it. The lack of mandatory basic education is one of the curses of the lesser developed countries. It is one of the major reasons behind their underdevelopment and will be the case for many more years to come if nothing is done to abort it.
Education utilizing the latest technologies and directed towards what is required out there in the job market is a critical ingredient to prosperity and economic development. The developed countries universities contribute greatly in the form of research to the development and progress of the whole world.
Education is a critical condition for communities to tend towards sustainable development. The fourth goal stated clearly “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”. In this context, Malcolm X has once said: “The future belongs for those who prepare for it today”. Actually, quality education is the key to a successful future at the individual level and sustainable development at the community or international level.
The Islamic University of Lebanon (IUL), as a non-profit institution, believes that quality education is one of the humans’ rights. Furthermore, its mission is to provide people with quality education which is accessible to everyone. IUL vision, actions and policies tend to achieve this goal.
The IUL believes that education is a lifelong activity and everyone should be able to access educational resources throughout his life.
The university utterly believes that education should be accessible to everyone regardless of their religious beliefs, gender, sect, sexual orientation and national origin.

About IUL Library

The Central Library was established alongside the founding of the University in 1995, with the aim of providing teachers and students, as well as public readers, with educational research services and resources.
Since its establishment, the Library has joined the Lebanese Library Association and the Arab Federation for Libraries and Information. In 2006, it became a member of the Arabic Union Catalog. The Library participates in meetings and specialized workshops locally, regionally and globally.
In 2011, a branch library was opened in Tyre, and according to the plan of the University campus in Wardaniyeh, there will be a separate building with five levels allocated for the University library.

 

It is important to mention that the Library received a Certificate of Appreciation for “excellence in quality” during the fourth conference of the Arabic Union Catalog (in 2011) for its commitment to the standards of cataloging rules. 

The Central Library role is to support the academic community including instructors, researchers and students, through providing different types of information resources and quality services that meet international standards, in line with the strategic objectives of the University. The Library aims at enhancing its role as an essential partner in the process of research and education and as a liaison between the members of the academic community. As such, the Library seeks, with its different logistic and moral routes, to encourage and support reading, intellectual interaction, teamwork, research production and information literacy. It also seeks always to improve the quality of its services.

IUL Central Library Services
a- Research services

The academic researcher can access the online library catalog via the internet from anywhere in the world, and use it to search among all the library collections. In addition to a range of search options in the online catalog, there are options to “Renew my materials”; “Recommend to order” and ask for online help through “Ask a Librarian”. The library also provides a special research department with six computers connected to the internet in the main reading room.

b- Reference service and guidance

The Library meets the needs of patrons by responding to inquiries and provides guidance on accessing information to meet their scientific needs, either by direct contact with the Department of Information and Circulation, or through telephone calls or via email. The library also provides a special section for Reference, including various resources such as encyclopedias, dictionaries, guides and atlases.

c- Electronic resources

The Library provides a collection of electronic resources that include eBooks, articles and theses, in both full texts and abstracts. These resources also cover different specialties taught at the university.

 

a- Training sessions

The library organizes training sessions for patrons throughout the academic year when these are requested by a Professor/Tutor/Department head. These sessions cover how to use the online catalog and to search across all the internet information resources.

b- Daily newspapers and periodicals

The library provides a wide range of academic journals, periodicals and scientific magazines in hard copy, covering all the different specialties at the university, and the collection grows according to educational needs. In addition, the library receives the majority of Lebanese newspapers and the Official Government Newspaper.

c- Loan service

Internal loan or access to library resources while inside the library is free of charge and available for any visitor from outside the university.
External loan allows beneficiary members of the Library a loan of a specific number of documents for a specific period.
Loans for the semester: A professor may borrow one or more documents for a whole semester.

d- Reservation

Academic reserve allows a professor to reserve an article, book, or any other document to be used by his students inside the library or to be loaned for a specific period.
Public reserve allows a borrower to make a reservation if the book has already been checked out or is at another library branch. The reservation (hold) can be made via the Circulation department at the library or via the User Online Account on the online catalog.

e- Photocopying and printing

The library provides this service to university students and to visitors from outside the University for a Fee set by the library’s administration.

f- Free WIFI service

The library provides free WIFI that visitors can connect to via their portable devices.

g- Social networking

The library staff have created accounts on major social network (Facebook; Blogger; Twitter; YouTube) in order to post updates, to enhance communication among associates, scholars and students, and to facilitate information access for all.

The library of the Islamic University in Lebanon participated in the workshop held by the International Federation of Library Associations “IFLA” at the Holy Spirit University – Kaslik entitled: IFLA Global Vision 2019 by training the member of the Federation’s administration, Dr. Marwa Al Sahn.

 

With the aim of improving office services and the permanent development of the work team, the Islamic University Library, being a member of the Unified Arab Index, represented by the ladies Lama Yassin, Maya Omar, and Sajida Sabity, participated in the training course organized by the Unified Arab Index in the Central Administration of the Lebanese University between 24 and 26 of June.

 

 

IUL also conducts conferences, diplomas, lectures that are open to the public, among them are:

The Faculty of Economics and Business Administration

In 2017, the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration at the Islamic University of Lebanon organized a symposium entitled: Launching a Green Economy in Lebanon. The symposium was sponsored by the Lebanese Ministry of Economy and was attended by the Director General of the Ministry of Economy, Professor Alia Abbas, the President of the Islamic University, deans of faculties, heads of scientific departments, professors, interested people from the Faculty of Information and Agriculture at the Lebanese University, and a group of students in the Islamic and Lebanese universities.

In 2018, the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration at the Islamic University of Lebanon held a symposium under the title: Emerging Business Opportunities in Light of Technological Changes, under the auspices of the President of the Digital Transformation Network in Lebanon and the President of the Association of Professional Informatics Professor Rabie Baalbaki.

In 2019, the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration at the Islamic University of Lebanon held a symposium under the title: Business Ethics and Social Responsibility. Under the patronage of the President of the Digital Transformation Network in Lebanon and the President of the Association of Professional Informatics Professor Rabie Baalbaki.

Faculty of Engineering:

On April 10, 2019, the Faculty of Engineering at the Lebanese Islamic University organized a seminar under the title: “Public Safety Culture, Education, Implementation and Control” Under the patronage and presence of His Excellency the Minister of Public Works and Transport Mr. Youssef Fenianos, representatives of the Faculties of Engineering and Architecture in Lebanese universities, technical audit offices, engineering consulting and contracting companies, the General Directorate of Urban Planning, as well as the parties concerned with the dissemination and application of this culture, the decree and its components will participate in the workshop.

Faculty of Tourism Sciences:

On 11/15/2017, the Faculty of Tourism Sciences at the Islamic University hosted Mr. Mohamed Zein, Director of Marketing and Sales at Sheraton International Hotels to give a lecture in the field of tourism and travel specialists, and hotel management, highlighting the importance of these specializations and the need for the labor market for holders of these higher degrees and listen to the students ’questions, as the lecture lasted for an hour and a half on Wednesday.

On November 20, 2017, the College hosted Miss Salam Raslan, Director of Personnel Affairs at Radisson Blu International Hotels, and she gave a specialized lecture in the field of human resources management in the tourism and hotel sector, through which she highlighted the labor market need for specialized employees with university degrees. And on the laws that govern the employee’s relationship with the institution, and interacted with students’ questions and inquiries about the various work departments in the institutions.

On 12/20/2018 at the invitation of the Faculty of Tourism Sciences at the Islamic University of Lebanon, the Lebanese Mountain Trail Association visited the college, represented by the director of programs Mrs. Zainab Janbeh, who gave the students a valuable lecture in which she presented the objectives and activities of the association and its impact on tourism in Lebanon, and focused Through it, the importance of sustainable tourism and the definition of Lebanese and foreign tourists. On Lebanese regions and villages that are rarely shed light on, to reveal the distinctive tourist areas that Lebanon contains, reflecting the diversity of flora and fauna in the mountains, participants can choose the duration of participation according to their program and times, and she also explained that students can be used to be local guides in their areas to explain its tourist and archaeological attractions and the heritage of its people.

On 10/01/2018 at the invitation of the Faculty of Tourism Sciences at the Islamic University of Lebanon, Mr. Ramy Mazboudi, the director and founder of the company “The Travel Desk”, a lecture in which he presented his practical experiences in the tourism, travel and hotel management sectors, and highlighted his experience In the field of “Entrepreneurship” through establishing and managing his own company, and interacting with students’ questions and inquiries about the job market and how to establish an entrepreneurial private company.

On 09/10/2018 Mrs. Nancy Akiki, Director of Human Resources at Summerland Hotel & Resort Kempinski, gave a scientific lecture. The lecture included a presentation of the role and tasks of the human resources department in the hotel, the criteria used in selecting the human cadre and how to distribute the administrative tasks. It was agreed with Mrs. Akiki and the director of the college to give college students preference to train and work during the next summer at the hotel. In conclusion, Mrs. Akiki answered the students’ questions and inquiries.

On 10/15/2018, the Faculty of Tourism Sciences participated in organizing and receiving attendees at the opening ceremony of the eleventh General Assembly of the Federation in cooperation with the Francophone University Agency in the Middle East “confremo”.

On October 16, 2018, Miss Petra Obeid, Head of the Youth and Local Authorities Department at the Lebanese Ministry of Tourism, gave a lecture aimed at educating students and introducing them to the various types of tourism in Lebanon and the role of the Ministry of Tourism in tourism development and marketing. Ms. Obeid briefed on the role of the Ministry of Tourism in developing local tourism, especially rural areas. It also shed light on the importance of alternative tourism and its economic, social and cultural benefits and local communities. A documentary film was also shown documenting the Ministry’s achievements in this field. In conclusion, pamphlets and brochures related to domestic tourism were distributed to students.

On October 28, 2018, the College of Tourism Sciences organized a lecture on the world of aviation given by Captain Sami Shaaban, in which he presented the latest developments in the aviation sector and explained the importance of public safety standards followed in Beirut and the world’s airports. He also acquainted students with the various paths that recent graduates can take in the job market. Captain Sami Shaban answered all students’ questions.

In the year 2019 within the framework of targeted scientific lectures, the College of Tourism Sciences organized a scientific lecture given by Mr. Maher Moussa, Director of Human Resources at Lancaster Eden Bay Hotel. The lecture included a presentation of the role and tasks of the human resources department in the hotel, the criteria used in selecting the human cadre and how to distribute the administrative tasks. It was agreed with Mr. Maher and the director of the college to give college students preference to train and work during the upcoming summer at the hotel. In conclusion, Mr. Maher answered the students’ questions and inquiries.

The policy of IUL in ensuring lifetime learning is not limited to providing access to educational materials: it organizes annually a wide range of educational events whose access is provided to the general public. Moreover, the vocational training center at the IUL conducts several training sessions each year. To illustrate, it organizes, in collaboration with the faculty of law, an annual training course for law graduates who wants to join the Bar Association.

IUL is doing its best to ensure the possibility and ability of everyone to access quality education. For this reason, it also undertakes educational outreach activities beyond its campus. To illustrate, The IUL promotes awareness-raising on relevant majors among schools’ students by organizing lectures and demonstrations in local schools. The IUL community members also participate in those events. In addition, the university has adopted the following slogan: “A university for the entire country” and its policy, goals and vision are set to ensure that no distinction or discrimination is made among its community members whether it is on the ethnic, religious, sectarian, or disability terms as well.

Ad hoc events

Communiquer un vrai enjeu pour les infirmières: it was an event hosted at IUL and organized by the faculty of Health on May 2017. The main goal of this event it was about the importance of communication in health. 300 people attended this event where 200 from outside the university.

Kinesio Taping: it was an event hosted at IUL and organized by the faculty of Health on February 2019. The main goal of this event it was about the application of new technology in physiotherapy especially for the athletes. This training was for the IUL students and for all people in the community interested in this type of training. 50 people attended this event where 20 from outside the university.

Médiation interculturelle: des contraintes socioculturelles à l’acceptation de l’autre: it was an event hosted at IUL and organized by the faculty of Letters and Human Sciences on March 2018. 50 people attended this event where 20 from outside the university.

IEEE LCW’17: it was an event hosted at IUL and organized by the faculty of engineering on December 2017. The main goal of this event it was about ‘’light in communications: trends and challenges’’. 150 people attended this event where 100 from outside the university.

Innovate for Lebanon first national competition: the faculty of engineering at IUL hosted on December 2017 the first national competition ‘’Innovate for Lebanon’’. The conference was held under the patronage of the minister of education and higher education, HE. Marwan Hmade, with the participation of the different Lebanese universities. More than 200 people attended this event where 150 from outside.

 

Public safety Culture, Education, Implementation, and Control: the faculty of engineering at IUL has organized on April 2019 the first of its kind conference gathering the industry and the academia family. The conference was held under the patronage of the minister of transportation and public works, HE. Youssef Fenianos, in cooperation with the order of engineers and architects, and with the participation of the different Lebanese universities and companies. More than 200 people attended this event where 150 form outside.

 

IEEE Lebanon Biomedical Student competition LBSC 2016: The IEEE Lebanon Biomedical Student Competition (LBSC) serves as a catalyst for evolution of Biomedical Engineering in Lebanon. Students from various educational institutes will have the chance to demonstrate their projects, achievements, and most importantly their acquired skills in relation to all areas of Biomedical Engineering. LBSC, proposed by the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society Lebanon Chapter will be organized by the Islamic University of Lebanon at Werdanye Campus on Friday, 22 of July, 2016.

 

ACIT 2018: The 19th International Arab Conference on Information Technology (ACIT’2018) is a forum gathering scientists, engineers, and practitioners to present their latest research, results, ideas, developments, and applications in all areas of information technology. ACIT’2018 included presentations to contributed papers and state-of-the-art lectures by invited keynote speakers. Tutorials on current issues and special sessions on new trends related to information technology and software industry has been organized. This conference is considered as the official scientific conference for the Colleges of Computer and Information Society, stemming from the Association of Arab Universities.

Sri Lanka Day: IUL with the collaboration of the Faculty of Tourism Sciences organized the Sri Lanka day in March 2018. The events took place in IUL Khaldeh. The Sri Lanka ambassador requested that our students participate in the International Youth Conference that was held between 28 March and 1 April 2018 in Sri Lanka.

Hamstring Injury in Sports: it was an event hosted at IUL and organized by the faculty of Health on February 2019. The main goal of this event it was about the light on the latest Rehab Protocol and technology from injury date till return to full activity. 50 people attended this event where 20 from outside the university [30].

The Islamic University of Lebanon has hosted the Monroe E. Price media law moot court competition 8th Middle East Regional Rounds –in Wardeneye Campus for 2 days on February 6 and 7-2020. In this competition we took the second place between the 4 teams that participated. Coach: Dr. Jinan Tfaily – Participants: Sally Abd elKhalek, Ola bou Naser eldin, Mohammad Amro, Sara Ajab,Maggie Matar and Nerjes Adib.

In October 2018, the Islamic University of Lebanon hosted the 11th general assembly of the CONFREMO (Conférence des Recteurs de la Région du Moyen-Orient) under the patronage of the Lebanese parliament president H.E. Mr. Nabih Berri. This event was also cooperated by the AUF (Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie).

Programmed Events

In addition to the Ad hoc events, IUL hosts programmed event that is open to all the community: IUL Open Day.
IUL organized every year an open day for all the school students. In general, more than 2000 people visit the university. The schools visit the university based on invitation letter sent by the university to each school (local, national and regional). During this open day, IUL staff and students explain for the students about all the different faculties and the different majors also. The students make also a round in the university to visit all the departments.
On this day, anyone has the right to visit the university to see all the university facilities and its departments and all faculties and laboratories.

Finally, IUL has established an office for university scholarships for people with limited income. These scholarships are given to everyone without any act of discrimination.

Conclusion and future perspectives

The Islamic University of Lebanon updates its curricula to ensure the integration of the concepts related to sustainable development goals. The twenty-first-century skills such as critical thinking and problem will be integrated into IUL’s curricula to ensure that students are well prepared to catch opportunities and achieve personal growth.

In order to ensure that students are equipped with the right skills, IUL is integrating the new technologies and skills especially those related to data science. IUL will organize regularly educational and training sessions that allow everyone interested to be able to develop their skills.

The university is also planning to launch online training sessions and webinars in several disciplines. The public access to those activities is guaranteed. It will schedule free classes in English language and basic computer skills that aim at allowing interested people to develop their skills. The university will make agreements with online learning platforms (such as Coursera) to give its students and graduates the chance to learn online and develop their skills and instructors at IUL will collaborate with online learning platforms to provide free online courses through learning platforms to provide everyone in the world access to quality education courses.

The university will organize a series of webinars on a regular basis to highlight new issues on the scale of Lebanon and on the international level will establish a capacity-building center to develop and update the skills of their graduates.