du collaborates with Ministry of Education to support distant learning

DUBAI - du, part of Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company, EITC, has announced its collaboration with the Ministry of Education to support remote learning and online educational platforms for students and faculty members.

du is enabling all postpaid and prepaid customers to access their school websites and homework throughout the entire duration of the closed period without occurring any additional charges on their data.

"The list of participating schools will be available on our website on Thursday, March 12th," according to a company statement. All users will be able to download content from their schools online educational platforms at no extra cost. du will also be providing access to selected VOIP applications: Blackboard Collaborate, Zoom, Google Hangout Meet, and Microsoft Teams.

"This in addition to Skype for Business will be available for all fixed-line users for the time being," it added.

Commenting on the announcement, Hussain bin Ibrahim Al Hammadi, Minister of Education, said, "The launch of the remote learning initiative is extremely important is it enables seamless continuity of the country’s education curriculum and enhances the concept of lifelong learning. Moreover, it supports the nation’s endeavours to implement precautionary health measures in light of current conditions and ensures our students and teachers can carry out their tasks and responsibilities in a safe environment." He continued, "The Ministry of Education commends du for its proactive approach to supporting this initiative, which comes in the midst of institutional solidarity and community cooperation demonstrated throughout the public and private sectors. du’s commitment to provide the Ministry with logistical support will ensure smooth functioning of remote learning processes without any obstacles. Furthermore, it reflects the willingness of UAE institutions to contribute towards widespread efforts to maintain societal health, safety, and care." Johan Dennelind, du CEO, said, "As a leading national organisation, it is our responsibility to utilise our resources and capabilities that will enable us to support the Ministry of Education as well as all schools and universities in the UAE. We are continuously striving to elevate our network across our entire scope of operations.

"Providing customers with the best experiences is among our top priorities. du users regularly benefit from a much stronger and faster network, and this will ensure seamless connectivity across all learning platforms in the weeks ahead."