Culture & Education | Monday 2 March, 2015 1:10 am |

Mohammed Bin Rashid Smart Learning Program (MBRSLP), a key catalyst in the development of education in the UAE, participated in the “Microsoft in Education” Global Forum, a two day event held in Dubai for the first time. The annual event highlighting technological strategies and solutions, to help overcome the region’s key educational challenges, brought together education leaders and educators from across the Middle East, Africa and India.

Attended by over 500 individuals, the forum held on February 22 and 23, 2015 brought together innovative educators, school teachers, partners and government officials from nearly 40 countries across the Middle East, Africa and Indian region. Delegates, during the Forum, discussed and debated how to best enhance progression throughout the region’s education systems in order to leverage current innovative industry trends.

Delivering the keynote address, Mohammed Gheyath, Director General of MBRSLP said: “Education policy reform is one of the key opportunities for a nation to ensure sustained economic development within an increasingly intense arena of global competition. MBRSLP is intended as a catalyst for change working to support the Ministry of Education’s transformation of the UAE’s education system in line with UAE Vision 2021. Events such as these are important because educational excellence for students and their future is a universal ambition and one that we share with our peers.”

“To succeed, we need to first have a vision for our future leaders, learn from the past of others continuous improving the model and finally invest in a change program for those who most influence them – their parents, teachers and leaders,” he continued.
The UAE’s stated Vision for 2021 emphasizes the need for the development of a first-rate education system, which will require a complete transformation of the current education system and teaching methods. Starting this year and ending in 2021, the Ministry of Education has adopted a thorough plan centered on innovation with MBRSLP continuing to be a key instrument lobbying the progress in the UAE’s education industry.

Since its inception, the Program has been combining smart learning with traditional techniques in blended environments across 146 schools in the UAE.
“MBRSLP provides an ideal environment for our students and we can see that this has already had a positive impact, both in terms of concentration and information retention, as students play a more active role in their learning process. At the moment, we have 150 Grade 8 and 9 students who are taught by 32 qualified teachers who have collectively received more than 1,200 hours’ worth of training outside school hours,” said Fatma Abdul Malek, Principal of Nad AlHamer School.

In her presentation, Zainab Alblooshi, a teacher at Nad AlHamer School talked about how the Program has facilitated communication between students, educators and parents through the introduction of the online portal. She also discussed the available support for students provided through the Program’s dedicated adoption officers who are on call during school hours in addition to a 24 hour hotline.

“Our classrooms have been transformed and smart learning has allowed me to express myself more effectively. It has also encouraged me to be more creative and class is just a lot more fun these days. My lessons are only a click away and I can read and prepare ahead of class. I personally also enjoy the e-books and tools available which complement my lessons through games and videos which help me understand my lessons,” said Fatima Saeed, a student at Nad AlHamer School.

During the forum a group of high-level Microsoft attendees visited a number of schools directed under the Program, namely Ahmad Bin Rashid School, Al Amal School and Al Ibdaa’s School, for a technical assessment and to gain further insight of its success by speaking to teachers and students who have been a part of the progress.