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Hussain Al Hammadi: The MoE is continuing to adopt breakthrough solutions to enhance its schools.
· Unique Initiatives to serve 6 Major priorities of the MoE
· An annual training program for 20 teachers at Microsoft Corporation to improve education and provide effective learning solutions inside classrooms
· "Fursati" program, an annual in-house training for 25 graduates preparing them for the job market and provide employment opportunities
· DreamSpark: a platform for software design and development, providing a chance for students to join Microsoft innovation incubators.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates - The Ministry of Education has signed a first of its kind agreement with Microsoft Gulf, comprising of a suite of unique initiatives that will serve six major strategic priorities of the Ministry to integrate smart learning into the education system. These include empowering teachers and educators, enhancing smart schools, encouraging the use of best educational practices, enriching teaching and learning experiences whilst applying the best international educational practices, and making the student home an extension of the classroom. The partnership will contribute to the development of new standards of effective learning through leveraging technology for schools across the country.
The agreement was signed by His Excellency Mohammed Gheyath, Director General of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Smart Learning Program and Samer Abu Ltaif, Regional General Manager, Microsoft Gulf, on the sidelines of the Global Education Forum (GEF) and Gulf Educational Supplies and Solutions (GESS). The objective of the agreement is to enable public schools to get the most out of ICT and curriculum integration which provides schools with an opportunity to benefit from modern communication systems as well as deal with any challenges pertaining to smart learning.
The agreement includes several initiatives such as the "Fursati" program, where Microsoft will be training 25 students to provide them with core skills and experience, with access to a network of potential career opportunities. Students will be given three month internships at Microsoft Gulf and access to some of the industry's most advanced expertise and technology, as well as the opportunity to secure employment interest from Microsoft partners. Also, part of this collaboration is the "DreamSpark" initiative that provides a complete platform for software design and development at no cost for students, and enables them to join Microsoft innovation incubators for further advancement of their ideas and innovations.
The agreement also includes provision of MINECRAFTEDU and Kodu Micro:bit for coding skills which makes the United Arab Emirates amongst the one of the first to use this system after the United Kingdom. It also comprises of the YouthSpark initiative that aims at enabling youth to avail the potential opportunities in areas of education, employment and entrepreneurship. The partnership encompasses providing all Microsoft educational resources for all teachers, as well as in-house training for 20 teachers over a period of two years. It also includes training 200 teachers using educational technologies and specialized on applications such as OneNote Class Notebook, Sway, Office Mix and Office 365, in addition to make the national curriculum of the UAE available on OneNote as well as other various leading applications for all students.
His Excellency Hussain al-Hammadi, the UAE Minister of Education said "Building a modern education system that is based on knowledge and innovation and transforms towards smart learning is what is needed in local schools. It is important to integrate the basic elements and tools into the education system enabling the teachers and students to acquire advanced skills through the use of technology and enhance the learning methods"
"The Ministry of education was established on the ideology of aligning with the trending international standards of education and implementing those practices into the local system. The Global Education Forum (GEF) and Gulf Educational Supplies and Solutions (GESS) are great platforms and an opportunity to showcase latest technology and solutions that can enrich the education system in schools. Our partnership with Microsoft echoes our commitment to transform the education system through leveraging technology for improving the learning methods".
Samer Abu Ltaif, Regional General Manager, Microsoft Gulf Said "At Microsoft, we believe that individuals can achieve great milestones if they are given an opportunity to leverage technology. Use of modern tools and solutions such as Minecraft helps in the skill building process for students and enables them to achieve more. We are honored to partner with the Ministry of Education as we share the same vision of providing a better future for students and nurturing the spirit of innovation by facilitating the best programs for teachers and educators".
This partnership contributes greatly towards enhancing the education system of the United Arab Emirates, geared towards a future ready workforce by helping them tackle upcoming challenges for building the economy of UAE in line with the National Agenda.
Contact
Amina Grimen
Consultant
The Portsmouth Group
PO Box 71765
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Tel : +971 4 449 0600
Mob: +971 55 298 6070
Email: amina.grimen@theportsmouthgroup.com
www.theportsmouthgroup.com
© Press Release 2016
