Back to school celebration event highlights impact from the past year and welcomes new teachers to its professional development programme.

Cairo Egypt

Discovery Education, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, and in partnership with the Egyptian Knowledge Bank, hosted a back-to-school celebration in the presence of his Excellency Dr. Tarek Shawki, Minister of Education and Technical Education. The event highlighted the ways the partnership has been working together during the 2016-17 school year to help fulfil President el-Sisi’s vision to build a society that learns, thinks, and innovates as well as highlight some of the projects educators and students can look forward to in the upcoming school year.

Dr. Tarek Shawki, Minister of Education and Technical Education, commenced the conference by stressing on the importance of the role played by Discovery Education in the development of the Egyptian education system, pointing out that Discovery Education is one of the most active partners in the Ministry of Education, and as a partner of the Egyptian Knowledge Bank since it launched in January last year, to implement the vision of President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi.

As for the partnership with Discovery Education, the Minister stressed that it is one of the most important partnerships for both the Ministry and the Egyptian Knowledge Bank. It aims to achieve a comprehensive development of the educational process in Egypt,

The Minister added that since it started working with the Ministry in early 2016, Discovery Education is the first to be interested in working in basic education stages and connecting curriculums, in addition to facilitating the education process through Curriculum Connect. He pointed out that Discovery Education added the pleasure of learning to the educational system in Egypt, especially in science and mathematics, by providing periodic training for teachers, in addition to the development of sciences and linking to the Egyptian knowledge Bank.

According to the Minister of Education, Discovery Education also pays special attention to those with special needs by digitally providing content that is accessible to all to better serve the education system. Discovery Education's main strategy focuses on children in the early stages of education in order to create a new, effective system, starting from the academic year 2018-2019 that depends on the preparation of teachers and connecting printed books to digital content in an attempt to raise the level of education.

A key part of the celebration was sharing the results of a recent survey Discovery Education conducted to measure the impact on the educational process and the students’ learning experience. A survey was administered to a representative sample of students, teachers and parents to evaluate the progress of three main elements: student attendance at school, student engagement in classrooms and overall student performance.

At the end of the first school year, 95% of teachers agreed that attendance has improved with the Discovery Education programme and 80% of students said they went to class more often because of the programme.  Not only has attendance increased, but students have become more engaged as well. 98% of teachers claim that students are overall more engaged and 84% of the students surveyed agreed that they participate more in class.  The increase in attendance and engagement has resulted in an increase in performance. 94% of teachers report better exam results and 84% of students say they have developed new skills.  A huge 100% of ministry officials reported that students at their schools performed better due to the use of Discovery Education resources and strategies.

A new group of educators were welcomed into the Discovery Education professional development programme continuing Discovery Education’s mission of ensuring teachers are equipped with the necessary tools to get the very best out of the Egyptian Knowledge Bank and unleash their students vast potential.

Robin Headlee, Vice President International of Discovery Education, highlighted the importance of reforming the current educational model in Egypt through innovative learning and teaching strategies to fit 21st century competencies: “As we know from President el-Sisi’s vision, learning is an important pillar to build in our  students, and Discovery Education is proud to be a part of the transformation of the Egyptian educational system through our strategic partnership with the Ministry of Education and the Egyptian Knowledge Bank. In addition to the amazing stories we have heard shared today, we are looking forward to expanding on the great successes seen over the past year and providing opportunities for more students and teachers to benefit from the wealth of creative learning tools found on the Egyptian Knowledge Bank.”

Delegates at the celebration event also had the opportunity to hear directly from a principal, teachers, and students who have been part of the Discovery Education programme during the 2016-17 academic year. The panel participants shared how they have seen their teaching and learning transform over the year and shared stories around the wider impact on their schools as well as their own educational journeys. Ziad Ahmed, a high school student in Helwan, said that the educational process has become more enjoyable for them as students due to the Discovery Education tools provided in the classroom, where the role of the teacher has changed to a guiding role and the student has the largest role and responsibility in the educational process in the classroom.

During the panel discussion, one of the principals who was trained by Discovery Education on the implementation of tools and skills in his school, explained that the strategies and tools provided by Discovery Education and have changed the learning process to impact students’ lives more, in addition to the use of technology in the educational process that helped students to innovate.

One of the teachers stated during the conference that the strategies and tools used by Discovery Education are more effective, characterized by the "play and learning" system - one of the systems applied in the classroom, which is based learning and entertainment, and is the most appropriate system for primary stages, and there are other systems suitable for all academic stages.

At the end of the conference, students and teachers participating in the Discovery Education program advised their relatives to take advantage of this opportunity and to support change. They assured the success of this experience, with the leadership of principals, and spreading it through students and teachers.

-Ends-

About the Egyptian Knowledge Bank (EKB)
The Egyptian Knowledge Bank [EKB] was launched in January 2016. It is regarded as the biggest digital library in the world, hosting content from prominent publishing houses from across the globe. The EKB offers Egyptians across all age groups huge and diversified sources for knowledge and culture free of charge.

About Discovery Education
Powered by the #1 non-fiction Media Company in the world, Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-based digital content for primary, preparatory and secondary learning, transforming teaching and learning with award-winning digital textbooks, multimedia content, professional development, and the largest professional learning community of its kind.  With a footprint in 53 countries, across all continents, Discovery Education’s mission is to transform teaching and learning through innovative partnerships with schools, administrations, government ministries and other like-minded organizations.  Discovery Education has proven experience working with partners at all levels across the education spectrum to create custom solutions that have markedly improved student achievement through engaging content, collaborative professional development, formative assessment and connection to a robust community of educational professionals.  Discovery Education currently serves over 50 million students and 4.5 million educators worldwide.

For more information and press access:
mai.yousery@publicistinc.com
01016994491

© Press Release 2017