Major international recognition for the uae in Geneva, Switzerland

Dubai, UAE; June 11th, 2014: The Mohamed Bin Rashid Smart Learning Program (MBRSLP) celebrates winning a top level international award for the use of Internet and Communications Technology (ICT) to advance society at the World Summit on Information Society WSIS+10 High Level Event. This year, the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) is being held in Geneva, Switzerland from June 10-13. The MBRSLP brings major acclaim to the UAE with the honor of gaining international recognition for their efforts after only the first year of the program's implementation.

WSIS is carried out with the aim to implement the development goals set by the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 60/252 and the United Nations Group on the Information Society (UNGIS). The aim of WSIS is to act as a platform for multiple stakeholders including government, private and civil society actors, to collaborate and carry out development efforts in their respective countries. The 2014 WSIS Project Prize selected only 18 winning projects, the MBRSLP being one of those winners, from over 150 projects from more than 40 countries. The extensive four-phase selection process includes a nomination process as well as a public voting phase.

"Participating in the WSIS+10 High Level Event has given the MBRSLP a permanent seat in global discussions on promoting smart learning and raising the quality of education, while building valuable partnerships that will help us achieve our overall mission of offering a world-class education in the UAE," noted H.E. Mohammed Al Geyath. "Winning the WSIS Project Prize was an essential step in validating our model to our stakeholders and partners, helping us to secure the support and collective participation we need to build a generation that can successfully compete in world markets," added H.E. Mohammed Al Geyath. 

The MBRSLP was awarded the 'Capacity Building' category of the WSIS Project Prize for its role in promoting the use of ICT in public schools and in building a communication and information infrastructure in the UAE. Furthermore, the prize highlighted the achievements of the MBRSLP in training teachers, curriculum development, improving access to information and knowledge and raising the level of ICT literacy amongst students to encourage innovation and lifelong learning. Empowering vulnerable groups and girls in particular is another mandate of this award that the MBRSLP has embodied, while it implements its program in female and male public schools alike and to students of all levels of excellence including those dealing with various disabilities.

Moving forward from WSIS and the award, the MBRSLP is eager to continue its hard work to implement its multiple phased, incremental strategy, which has now reached 123 public schools and 11,402 students to include all of UAE's public schools by the year 2019. The MBRSLP will be included in the "WSIS Stocktaking: Success Stories 2014," solidifying its place as an internationally recognised case study and proven model on ICT learning, originating in the UAE and is both sustainable and replicable.  

For more information on the Mohamed Bin Rashid Smart Learning Program, please visit:  
www.smartlearning.gov.ae or -.

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For more information on the World Summit for the Information Society Project Prizes, please visit: groups.itu.int/stocktaking/WSISProjectPrizes2014.aspx

About the Mohammed Bin Rashid Smart Learning Program
The Mohammed Bin Rashid Smart Learning Program is an enabler that will transform the education system in the UAE and take it to higher levels where it can be benchmarked against best international standards.

The Program is aligned with the vision of the Ministry of Education and supports its ongoing reform process to continuously evolve the education system in the UAE. Furthermore, the Program is aligned with UAE's 2021 vision for inclusion of all students and parents in the preparation of the leaders of the future.

The Program was formed by ministerial decree No. 25 of 2012 which also provided for the formation of a Supreme Committee to overlook the Program under the chairmanship of H.E. Humaid Mohamed Al Qutami, Minister of Education, and the membership of H.E. Dr. Abdul

Qader Al Khayat board member of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Fund, and Mrs. Huda Al Hashimi Executive Director of Strategy and Policy in the Prime Minister's Office. The program is funded by the Fund to support the communications and information systems of the TRA.

The program puts into effect the integration of modern technologies with traditional classroom tools into the educational process to transform it into a dynamic and interactive experience for both teachers and students. Teachers will be able to focus on the performance of each student, thereby aiding them to develop their individual abilities and skills. The learning process in the smart classroom will now include the support of tablet devices and computers as well as smart boards alongside the existing teaching system. 

The program consists of three phases: the pilot phase, which took place during the last academic year and included grade 7 students in 14 government schools. The application phase will continue throughout a five-year period, followed by the implementation of the program in schools across the UAE. Development and follow up will ensue.  As the program progresses, support and updates for all its elements including devices, systems, platforms and other interactive material will be ongoing.

For more information, please contact:
Nora Alawadhi
n.alawadhi@smartlearning.gov.ae
+971 4 230 0000

Rana Rizk
rana.rizk@theportsmouthgroup.com
+971 4 369 3569

© Press Release 2014