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The TAMAM Project is a research and development initiative at the American University of Beirut that empowers educators to lead change and foster innovation within schools, setting a remarkable example of educational transformation, which closely aligns with UNESCO’s work on advancing teacher development. TAMAM’s name derives from its purpose: it is an acronym from the initials of the Arabic translation of the phrase “school-based reform” [Al-Tatweer Al-Mustanid ila Al-Madrasa].
TAMAM collaborates with educators, researchers, and policy makers to create context-specific strategies in the Arab region. It connects teachers across 79 schools in nine countries across the region – Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Sudan – leading to 130 local improvement projects over 18 years and benefiting more than 1,500 educational practitioners.
In this interview, we take a closer look at their efforts to transform education in the Arab region and explore the impact of receiving the UNESCO-Hamdan Prize on their work.
Do you think your project contributes to making teaching more attractive? How?
Our work elevates the job of teaching to a profession and enables teachers to become leaders of change and an effective source of innovation in their schools. We promote teacher agency, consider teachers as partners to action researchers in improving the teaching process, respect their image and voices, have confidence in their knowledge and abilities, and recognize their needs within their contexts. This feeds into the core mission of teaching to make a lasting impact on the lives of future generations by enabling them to learn how to learn and how to effectively develop their community and society.
How has the UNESCO-Hamdan Prize helped your project?
The prize boosted TAMAM’s recognition, motivating the steering team to continue transformative work in education. It also instilled pride in the professional network, enhancing motivation to contribute. The award provided visibility and facilitated additional access to educational leaders in ministries of education and other potential partnerships. We also funded a gathering which allowed us to present TAMAM’s new designs and to strengthen TAMAM network relationships, enabling members to share experiences, and offer recommendations to support educational reform initiatives in the Arab world. Moreover, a portion of the prize money allowed us to work on renovating the TAMAM website to include an interactive community platform for the TAMAM network members to share their experiences and upload resources, enhancing data sharing and visibility of programme design.
What is the next big challenge for your project?
We are working on developing new capacity-building programmes that will equip teachers with additional skills to allow them to practice their roles as leaders of change. The first programme enhances teachers’ capacity to establish partnerships with parents and the local community across a wide range of schools, from economically challenged to privileged, spanning urban to rural settings. The second is a programme that allows teams of teachers from different schools to network and work collaboratively on a common improvement initiative. These additional skills will further enable teachers to support the holistic development of their students and to sustain the impact of their innovative initiatives.
Why would you recommend applying for the next edition of the Prize?
Applying for the prize is an opportunity to take stock of what has been achieved and to respond to the challenge of providing evidence of the initiatives’ impact and potential for growth. Applying for it by itself is a learning experience that gives the chance to self-reflect on the project/initiative’s innovative strategies, monitoring and evaluation process, impact, achievement, sustainability and growth plans. Moreover, winning the prize is an opportunity to meet the other laureates and learn about their work, present the work to other teachers and educators through the organized panels and forums by UNESCO and Hamdan Foundation globally and in the Arab region.
What is your wish for teachers around the world?
We wish teachers around the world to be able to continue to model the love of learning, to be proud of their profession and its potential to make a lasting transformational impact at the level of individuals, institutions, and society. To continue to dream of a better world and develop partnerships with their colleagues and all those who believe in their noble mission. To reach out and connect with their communities and its institutions whose members have the capacity to bring joy, peace, love, and prosperity to their countries and human society.
READ MORE: https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/how-tamam-project-advances-teacher-leadership-arab-region?hub=701
