UNESCO, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education of Lebanon, conducted a three-day training on Coding and Artificial Intelligence (AI) from 10 to 12 May aimed at empowering teachers and ministry staff with AI skills and computational thinking.

The training marks the first phase of the “Teaching Coding and AI for Teachers and K-12 Students” programme in Lebanon, implemented in the framework of the UNESCO project on AI and the futures of learning for the development of AI competencies for school students. This initial phase was dedicated to training 20 teachers from 10 schools across Lebanon with essential coding and AI skills. In the subsequent phase, these skilled educators will impart a comprehensive 40-hour training to students within their own schools, benefiting a total of 500 learners. A key emphasis of this programme will be on reaching out to girls and students from disadvantaged and remote communities, ensuring their inclusion and access to these invaluable learning opportunities.

Promoting AI and coding skills among teachers and learners aligns with the humanistic and human-centred vision for integrating technology in education, championed by UNESCO and shared by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education. “Programming is no longer just a tool, but rather a language that connects individuals, devices, and organizations, and enables us to turn ideas into reality,” emphasized Ms Maysoun Chehab, Education Programme Specialist at UNESCO Beirut, during her opening speech at the training session. Both UNESCO and the Ministry of Education and Higher Education are committed to promoting the responsible and inclusive utilization of AI, with the aim of enhancing the quality of education for all learners in Lebanon.

The Ministry of Education and Higher Education fully endorsed the training content on Coding and AI, which was developed and facilitated by Prof. Mariette Awad Assaad from the American University of Beirut. Aligned with the national curricula, the training emphasized the acquisition of knowledge in AI and provided a comprehensive introduction to programming languages, data representation, machine reasoning, and deep learning through convolutional neural networks. To ensure equitable access and maximize the course's impact, the teaching and learning materials will be uploaded to the national digital learning platform, enabling a wider audience across the country to benefit from the valuable resources.

The training also served to strengthen the capacity of staff at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, with 15 representatives from the General Directorate of Education and the Centre for Educational Research and Development actively participating as trainees, further enhancing their expertise in the field of Coding and AI. The Minister of Education and Higher Education, H.E. Dr. Abbas Al Halabi, personally presented the participants with certificates of completion, expressing his appreciation for the successful implementation of this UNESCO educational project on coding and artificial intelligence in Lebanon.  

The successful completion of the training marked a significant milestone in the country’s efforts to equip teachers and learners in Lebanon with essential coding and AI skills. Building upon the best practices and lessons learnt from this training, UNESCO and the Ministry of Education and Higher Education now plan to move forward with the implementation of the second phase of the programme, providing about 500 students with the opportunity to learn how to code and effectively use AI in school settings.

• More on UNESCO’s work on AI in education