United Arab Emirates: The Digital School, an initiative of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI), announced the launch of the Building Educator Skills for Teaching (BEST) program in collaboration with the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College for Learning and Innovation at Arizona State University during the World Governments Summit 2026 in Dubai.

The pioneering digital self-paced online training program is designed to address the global shortage of teachers by preparing individuals from local communities to serve as teaching assistants, particularly in regions where persistent teacher shortages continue to limit access to education.

The launch of the program at the World Governments Summit highlights the Summit’s role as a global platform for advancing systematic solutions and practical initiatives that respond to shared educational and development challenges worldwide.

The program offers a flexible and scalable training model that equips participants with essential classroom skills, enabling them to support lead teachers and ensure continuity of learning, especially in environments where recruiting qualified teaching staff remains a challenge.

Dr. Waleed Al Ali Access to education begins with strengthening those who shape and lead learning.

Dr. Waleed Al Ali, Secretary General of The Digital School, noted that the school’s approach centres on empowering communities by supporting individuals to acquire skills and learning that enable them to contribute meaningfully to their communities, support sustainable development, and help shape a more advanced future. He emphasised that access to education begins with strengthening those who shape and lead learning.

Additionally, Dr. Waleed stated that the program was developed to address the global teacher shortage through a practical and scalable model that empowers local communities and enhances classroom stability in the most underserved areas. He emphasised that the collaboration with Arizona State University reflects the shared commitment of both parties to building resilient and sustainable education systems that integrate digital innovation with academic excellence and local capacity building, ensuring that no learner is deprived of education due to a lack of teachers.

Dr. Chris Howard: The program reflects this commitment on a global scale, offering accessible, high-impact training to empower local communities and expand educational opportunity where it’s needed the most.

Dr Chris Howard of Arizona State University stated that the university believes innovation must serve the greater good. The Building Educator Skills for Teaching program reflects this commitment on a global scale by offering accessible, high impact training that empowers local communities and expands educational opportunity where it is needed the most.

He added that the program is built on a scalable model that enables the effective preparation of teaching assistants and reinforces the university’s mission to expand access to education and deliver tangible and sustainable educational impact.

The program focuses on preparing teaching assistants as a practical solution to enhance classroom stability, improve learner support, and strengthen education systems from within, particularly in contexts experiencing persistent or emergency shortages of educational staff.

The program was developed in collaboration with the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College for Learning and Innovation at Arizona State University, ensuring alignment with international academic standards and best practices in teaching and learning.

In its first phase, the program offers ten micro-courses in Arabic and English, covering core teaching skills, learner support, student-centered education, and classroom management, tailored to real-world educational contexts. Additional languages will be introduced in later phases to enhance localization and expand access.

Participants who successfully complete the program receive a joint certificate issued by The Digital School and the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College for Learning and Innovation, providing a recognized professional credential that can be utilized within local education systems.

The Building Educator Skills for Teaching program is designed as a low-cost, highly scalable digital model that enables rapid implementation across different countries and education systems. Future plans include expanding the program with additional professional development pathways and “Train-the-trainer” models to support long-term capacity building in education.

The collaboration represents a practical model demonstrating how academic excellence, digital innovation and community-based implementation can integrate to deliver effective solutions to the global teacher shortage, offering a replicable global model for governments, development partners, and education providers. The program also contributes to advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University

Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation at Arizona State University is a globally recognized leader in educator preparation, research, and innovation. The College advances excellence in teaching and learning by developing evidence-based, learner-centered approaches that strengthen classroom practice and expand access to high-quality education worldwide. Its work supports education systems through rigorous academic programs, applied research, and scalable solutions that respond to real-world needs.

The Digital School

The Digital School was launched in November 2020 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, as part of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives. It is the world’s first accredited digital school of its kind, aiming to empower students through digital learning options while offering innovative blended and remote learning models in a smart and flexible manner.

The Digital School targets underserved communities, refugees and displaced populations worldwide by leveraging digital education and delivering modern curricula. It adopts a comprehensive approach to digital transformation in education by expanding learning opportunities through digital modalities and continues to scale its impact, currently providing educational and training content in seven languages: Arabic, English, French, Spanish, Kurdish-Sorani, Portuguese and Bahasa-Indonesia.