DUBAI- The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, MBRGI, is continuing to provide high-tech offline educational solutions to Jordan’s refugee camps during its first mission amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
As part of "Madrasa for 1,000 villages", the MBRGI equipped about 400 students and 11 teachers at the Al Azraq Refugee camp and King Abdullah Park Refugee camp in Jordan with offline solutions to access over 5,000 high-tech science, mathematics and Arabic video lessons without the need for internet access. For the first time, specialised Madrasa tablets were distributed to 62 children of determination in partnership with UNICEF at both refugee camps to ensure inclusive education.
In collaboration with the Emirates Red Crescent, ERC, the mission saw the distribution of four innovative offline solutions, including Madrasa tablets, Wi-Fi hotspot devices, Madrasa flash memory (USB) and Madrasa Smart Bag, to ensure a rich virtual learning experience in remote areas and refugee camps as school closures leave millions of students worldwide out of classrooms. The team followed strict health guidelines and precautionary measures to provide a safe learning experience to children living in remote areas. Eight-year-old Eman, a Syrian, who lives with a hearing impairment at the Al Azraq Refugee camp in Jordan was among the beneficiaries who received her own Madrasa tablet.
With no access to education since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, Eman is now able to learn sign language and lip-read with the help of her teacher, supported by Madrasa’s high-tech educational content available without internet access. Since the initiative’s launch in February 2019, offline innovative educational content has reached 630 villages in four countries, benefitting 15,668 students and teachers through 1,052 electronic devices.
Madrasa aims to distribute its offline educational content to 192 remote areas across 25 countries. To facilitate distribution to a large number of students and teachers in villages and refugee camps, Madrasa has forged several partnerships with international and local non-government organisations including the ERC, UNESCO and the ISESCO. Tanya Chapuisat, UNICEF Representative in Jordan, said, "Innovative e-learning solutions will help bridge the technological gap during the COVID-19 outbreak and provide equal educational opportunities that respond to different needs. Developing high-tech agile solutions presents a critical need in modern education to enable us to cope with emergencies and crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic."
Dr. Waleed Al Ali, Manager of Madrasa, said, "Our goal through the Madrasa e-learning platform is to ensure continued access to education in our region regardless of any challenges and obstacles." "Education is a fundamental right that needs to continue, if not at an intensified level, during any given emergency or crisis. It is with education that we empower our future generations to overcome similar future crises and ensure they are active partners in their society’s progress and development," he added. Launched in October 2018, the Madrasa e-learning platform provides more than 5,000 free-of-charge high-tech educational videos in biology, chemistry, physics, general science, mathematics and Arabic to Arab students from kindergarten to grade 12. In February 2019, the platform was expanded to "Madrasa for 1,000 villages" to support learning for Arab students living in villages, remote areas and refugee camps without internet access using four innovative offline solutions.
© Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2020.
