Comprehensive program spans pre-school to post-graduate learning
DUBAI, CAIRO, Nov 18, 2006 - Empowering change through education is a core element of Oracle's global Education Initiatives, as well as the mission of the World Economic Forum and Egyptian Government's Education Reform Program presented through the Egyptian Education Initiative, established in early 2006. Leveraging Oracle's globally renowned programs, the Memorandum of Understanding signed today between Oracle representatives and the Egyptian government representatives marks the joint commitment of both parties to facilitate educational reform and promote lifelong learning in technology.
"The Government and people of Egypt are committed to investing in education, as it represents an investment in the future of our country, addressing the knowledge based society our children are entering," commented Atef Helmy, managing director, Oracle Egypt. "The commitment to driving a strong element of technical IT education as part of this improvement of educational standards will result in a generation entering employment equipped with recognized certifications, ready to become the thought leaders of tomorrow. Oracle has a strong focus on developing any community in which it operates, and I am proud to be able to contribute to the Egyptian Educational Initiative today with a concrete plan of world renowned programs that will benefit Egypt's youth of tomorrow."
The program has four tracks spanning K-12 schooling, Higher Education, Life-Long Learning and e-industry certification programs. The contribution of Oracle to the EEI focuses on the first three tracks and is not contained to the initial structures of the MOU - the agreement is a dynamic roadmap, viewed as an ongoing project by the dedicated Oracle team.
At the pre-University level, Oracle Egypt and the Oracle Education Foundation will provide 2,000 Egyptian primary and secondary schools with access to Oracle's leading online educational community "Think.com", which will connect over 820,000 Egyptian students and 60,000 teachers together and with others from around the world, engaging them all in collaborative, project-based learning using technology. As well as, access to the international Thinkquest competition, will challenge students and teachers to create innovative and educational websites to share with other schools around the world.
The Introduction to Computers, Science and Business (ICSB) offering from Oracle Academy will deliver Database Design and Programming with SQL modules with support and teacher training for up to 200 teachers in 2007. Additionally, in cooperation with an Oracle Egypt partner, Oracle will provide a centralized portal and School Management System covering the 2000 schools included in the EEI.
To date, Egypt has seen the establishment and development of the Oracle Academy, ICSB Program in Sixteen schools, producing IT literate students who are able to tackle Pre-University standard courses whilst still in school. Oracle Academy is a partnership between Oracle and secondary schools, designed to equip students with database, programming, and general business skills.
In a short number of years the partnership between Oracle and the education sector in Egypt has grown from two to sixteen schools offering the Oracle Academy curriculum. Egyptian teachers have also benefited from the partnership, with teachers from 17 schools visiting California during the summers of 2004, 2005 and 2006 for professional training courses, with the largest group attending the July 2005 session. Through this partnership, Oracle has demonstrated that its commitment to education is only matched by its commitment to developing IT in Egypt.
At Higher Education Level, the MOU covers professional development for faculty staff to ensure the program's longevity, focusing on areas such as Web Developer/Administration, and Database administration. The Advanced Computer Science & Business (ACSB) offering from Oracle Academy will be rolled out to eligible technical facilities as well as summer school places for up to 1000 undergraduates registered in the program. Further licenses and curriculum will be placed at selected faculties to spread the knowledge across Egypt's centers of learning.
Encouraging the development of the IT sector has been a key goal in the community over the past few years, where the market has seen a tremendous rise in demand for sophisticated solutions to empower the workforce. "Developing a skilled workforce who can drive the IT sector must start with our youth," continued Helmy. "Technology is one of the most important drivers of economic growth in the Middle East, and ensuring that our workforce is leveraging IT to maximum effect is critical. In order to achieve this in the long term we must ensure that there are enough skilled Egyptian graduates with computer expertise to maintain the momentum that our government is starting today. Partnerships with global companies such as Oracle ensure that the programs we are using are second to none, and give our young people the best start on the road to IT expertise."
Fast-tracking IT specialists will result in young graduates entering into the booming Egyptian IT economy which will help to sustain the rapid growth initiated by the Government through the establishment of the IT Zone and other initiatives. Students complete five database projects and presentations as part of the course, incorporating real business scenarios. By showing the students how to address the computing problem as a business issue, the course delivers much more than purely technical information and expertise.
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Contact:
Aly Rifaah
Oracle Middle East
+9714 390 9000
ali.eltahtawi@oracle.com
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© Press Release 2006
