The Arab Education Forum makes a clear distinction between education and learning, and has an evident bias towards learning as the essence and spirit of life. Therefore, the AEF views education in the formal sector as one of the means and spaces that assist learning, however if education does not embody learning it loses its reason to exist. For the AEF the reflection on and expression of life and personal experiences are the two basic components of learning. This concept, from the AEF's perspective, embodies looking at people as builders of themselves, their society, and of knowledge.