Minister of Education, Dr. Azmi Mahafzeh, discussed with UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information, Tawfik Jelassi, the importance of media literacy in the digital age and the need to integrate its concepts into school curricula.
During a meeting held on the sidelines of the Global Media and Information Literacy Week Conference in Amman, Mahafzeh noted decision-makers play a “crucial” role in promoting youth media and information literacy, noting that the ministry seeks to integrate media literacy and its methods into educational content.
The ministry is working, in this regard, to integrate media literacy concepts into national policies and frameworks as part of curriculum development and learning system reform, he said.
The minister added that this effort is a part of “lifelong” learning, aimed to help students and teachers develop critical thinking, evaluate media, and manage information.
Mahafzeh underlined the importance of capacity building and professional development by
investing in developing skills of teachers and community leaders, by providing training programs, workshops and educational resources that enhance implementation of media literacy concepts in their practices.
The minister also stressed the need to partner with media organizations, civil society and technology companies to support and promote responsible media.
Mahafzeh stressed the importance of enhancing community awareness of media literacy concepts, training young people on optimally using media, combating rumors, and identifying reliable sources of information by launching community awareness campaigns, and harnessing social media platforms.
Furthermore, he stressed the need to provide underprivileged communities with the necessary digital tools and required skills, to provide internet services at reasonable costs.
The minister urged cooperation with internet companies to integrate media literacy into their platforms, calling for the development of policies based on evidence and scientific research, a
nd supporting legislative and regulatory frameworks.
Additionally, he discussed Jordan’s vocational and technical education, noting its “remarkable” importance for young people.
For his part, Jelassi noted importance of reliable media content, especially on social platforms that contain a lot of misleading information, fake news, hate speech and violence.
He stressed the need to integrate media literacy in education content to provide young people with the necessary capabilities to distinguish reliable news.
Source: Jordan News Agency