Egyptian and Emirati officials discussed collaborations to develop the content of the Digital School to provide a certified high-tech online education to reach students in disadvantaged communities across the world.
In a meeting, Omar Al Olama, UAE Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Digital School, and Tarek Shawki, Egypt’s Minister of Education and Technical Education, discussed ways to exchange knowledge and expertise to develop high-tech educational content that aims to reach one million disadvantaged students in the next five years.
The collaborations aim to enhance the quality of online education across the Arab world through the Digital School, the first comprehensive Arab online school, that aims to provide access to classes powered by cutting-edge technologies and Artificial Intelligence to students anywhere in the world, particularly underserved communities.
Both officials addressed setting approved criteria for digital learning and establishing specialized joint teams to follow the implementation progress. The UAE is already collaborating with Jordan to test the content of the Digital School among primary school students at Mrajeeb Al Fhood refugee camp in Jordan, as part of the trial phase.
The meeting also tackled the necessity to develop initiatives to respond to the rapidly-growing digital learning, particularly after the outbreak of COVID-19 that led to global school closures.
Egypt and the UAE are looking to enhance the use of technology in education, exchanging success stories of both countries in providing online solutions during COVID-19 outbreak.
The meeting was held in the presence of Dr. Waleed Al Ali, Secretary General of the Digital School, Dr. Ahmed Daher, Egypt’s Deputy Minister of Education for Information Technology and Digital Learning, and Major General Akram Al Nashar, Assistant Minister for Strategic Planning and Financial and Administrative Affairs.
Omar Al Olama said the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the implementation of new digital solutions across vital fields, namely education, and encouraged educational institutions to introduce new ways of learning to respond to the rapidly-changing world.
He noted the significant role of regional and global partnerships in exchanging knowledge to enhance e-learning practices. "Technology enables us to provide a flexible and personalised distance learning experience to students in underserved communities. The inclusive education will help bridge the knowledge gap in the Arab world and empower future generations to contribute to the development of their societies," said Al Olama.
Tarek Shawki said the collaboration with the UAE to develop the content of the Digital School fulfills the objectives to equip the new Arab generation with academic and life skills that enable them to compete globally. He added, "Digital education endorses self-learning and lifelong learning among students. Regional collaborations to develop digital education initiatives helps create a solid system that responds to the 21st century skills."