الأخبار
Manhajiyat held its May webinar titled "Popular Education: Approaches, Experiences, and Challenges". The discussion focused on three main themes:
Deconstructing the concept of popular education and exploring its foundations.
Examining real-life experiences and practical applications.
Discussing the challenges facing popular education and its future prospects.
The webinar featured a distinguished group of speakers: Abdulsalam Khaddash, educational, community, and cultural activist (Palestine); Sireen Hleileh, cultural activist, researcher, and community practitioner (Palestine/Jordan); Rahaf Abu Duha, lead instructor in the Ahl program and specialist in community organizing and popular learning (Jordan); and Safiya Al-Wafi, Vice Principal of Naama Rassam Girls’ School and science teacher (Yemen).
The session was moderated by Dr. Jumana Al-Waili, a postdoctoral researcher in the sociology of education and social justice. She opened the webinar by introducing Manhajiyat as a periodic online educational journal dedicated to professionals working in the education sector within community contexts. The journal publishes inspiring and enriching Arab and international contributions on a regular basis through diverse formats and media, follows developments in the field, and encourages dialogue that enriches educational practice across the Arab world, making it a valuable human and knowledge resource for both individuals and institutions. She also invited participants to follow the journal and contribute to its various sections.
At the beginning of the discussion, Dr. Al-Waili noted that the webinar seeks to shed light on popular education as a collective and emancipatory practice that goes beyond conventional educational frameworks, particularly in a time marked by crises and wars that require resistance to epistemicide and the erasure of knowledge.
She explained that the concept emerged in the late 1960s as both an educational approach and a method for fostering critical consciousness, developed by the Brazilian educational philosopher Paulo Freire in the context of educating politically marginalized and disadvantaged communities in Brazil. Popular education differs from both formal and non-formal education in that it is a collective endeavor requiring high levels of participation, where the traditional distinction between teacher and learner dissolves and every participant gains agency in shaping their own learning journey.
Dr. Al-Waili also highlighted several inspiring examples of popular education in practice, including the Palestinian experience during the First Intifada (1989–1990) and experiences in Brazil inspired by Freire’s work. She emphasized Manhajiyat’s interest in exploring how educational practice in contexts of conflict, displacement, and emergency can become a tool for resilience, resistance, and the reconstruction of meaning.
Watch the full recording: ندوة: التعليم الشعبيّ.. مداخل وتجارب وتحدّيات | منهجيات - نحو تعليم معاصر
