12 January 2010
MUSCAT -- Microsoft Oman, in partnership with the Ministry of Education (MoE), concluded a 'Training of Trainers' programme recently, designed to aid teachers and ministry staff gain proficiency in a wide variety of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) skills. About 25 teachers from different schools and 25 MoE personnel attended an in-depth technical training programme and workshop and gained proficiency in a wide variety of ICT skills from email and calendar support to group projects and communication tools.

The training comes under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between MoE and Microsoft Oman to implement the globally successful Partners in Learning Programme in Oman which is committed to empower students and teachers and transform education worldwide, focusing on three key areas: Innovative Teachers, Innovative Schools and Innovative Students. By providing educators and partners with resources and training that can best complement classroom technology and allow students to reach their full potential, the goal of Partners in Learning is to leverage the transformative power of software to create innovative educational experiences that bring students and teachers closer worldwide.

The objective of the programme, which covered different topics including Innovative Teaching Using Technology, Integrating ICT in Education, The Learning Process, Review of Software Tools for Innovative Teaching in the Classroom and Digital Lifestyle, provided the participants with the necessary skills and tools to manage, deploy and support Microsoft solutions in education. The programme is aimed at providing teachers and MoE staff to integrate ICT into teaching and learning in a meaningful way and also empowering students to use ICT in their school work and learning.

Ghosoon Badr al Busaidy, MOE Co-ordinator for Microsoft projects, said: "Following the Ministry of Education's commitment to improve access to and use of information and communications technology (ICT), the Ministry of Education, through technology with initiatives such as Partners in Learning, has left no stone unturned to implement better ways to transform education for the benefit of students and communities in Oman. We take this opportunity to thank Microsoft Oman for coming forward with this kind of initiative that empowers our future generation."

Ahmad El Dandachi, Country Manager for Microsoft Oman, said: "We at Microsoft are excited to partner with MoE in making the programme a success. We are committed to supporting the IT development and accelerating the growth of the next generation of innovative, knowledge-based high growth technology solutions within the MoE based on Microsoft technologies. "I am sure the programme will boost the way teachers and students use technology that is constantly developing with e-mails and social networking being part of their digital experience." Microsoft has been working with the Sultanate's Ministry of Education on a regular basis to improve access to and use of ICT in primary and secondary education and also to jointly improve both access to, and the use of, ICT for the support of teaching and learning.

By Staff Reporter

© Oman Daily Observer 2010