Posted inEducationLatest NewsUAE

Dubai Ruler launches Digital School to benefit 20,000 children in Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Mauritania, and Colombia

Presented initially in three languages – Arabic, French, and Spanish – The Digital School will have materials matching the nationally approved curricula in the beneficiary countries, and will aim to benefit 1 million students in 5 years

digital school

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and the Ruler of Dubai, has marked the first operational phase of The Digital School in five countries including Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Mauritania and Colombia.

The Digital School – which focuses on the less fortunate, the disadvantaged, and refugees in Arab nations, and across the globe – is the first comprehensive digital school providing distance education in a smart and flexible format, so students can join from wherever they are.

In the first year, more than 20,000 students will be enrolled, as part of a vision to increase the number of students to one million students within the next five years.

The entity will provide digital study and supporting materials that are compatible with the Arab and international curricula, and offers an opportunity to interact with a number of licensed teachers and their colleagues through virtual classrooms.

Education opportunities at The Digital School

Presented initially in three languages – Arabic, French, and Spanish – The Digital School will have materials matching the nationally approved curricula in the beneficiary countries and communities through a modern digital education platform

The Digital School system consists of six key components: interactive digital content, learning technology appropriate to the application environment, professional development for teachers and education facilitators, local and international partnerships to achieve the sustainability of digital education, an education model that promotes independent learning skills, and continuous data assessment and evaluation.

The Digital School provides lessons in mathematics, science, Arabic, computers, and other subjects through virtual and comprehensive classrooms.

It adopts the latest technology applications, artificial intelligence, and educational tools to fulfill the educational needs of the students benefiting from the initiative.

It will offer an interactive learning environment that contributes to student empowerment and enhances communication between students and educators through advanced tools to assess performance, promote self-learning, and ensure an interactive simulation of each student’s needs.

Students can benefit from the “digital tutor” to support them in their study plan and follow up on their educational progress, with the provision of a comprehensive assessment mechanism within the learning stages.

Partnerships driving the operations of The Digital School

The school will operate through the widest international and national partnerships of its kind, within a knowledge alliance that seeks to mobilise efforts and resources to provide opportunities for quality education to millions of students around the world.

The school has concluded agreements with leading charity, humanitarian, and knowledge institutions, such as the Awqaf & Minors Affairs Foundation in Dubai; the Emirates Red Crescent Authority; a strategic cooperation agreement with Arizona State University; and Microsoft.

Furthermore, The Digital School has signed strategic memoranda of understanding with many institutions and entities concerned with the future of digital education and innovation, including the Mobile Learning Alliance, the World Food Program, Dubai Cares, and Amazon.

The Digital School has an international advisory board that comprises prominent international experts from reputable institutions and bodies such as the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF); the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); the international “Generation Unlimited” initiative, a global partnership that aims to ensure that young men and women around the world are enrolled in education, training or employment by 2030; Harvard University; the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; the University of New South Wales Sydney; Arizona State University; and the Brookings Institution.

The Digital School also seeks to empower teaching communities, educators, and to assist in the professional development of teachers, educational leaders and education facilitators through a broad training program in partnership with Arizona State University to qualify 1,500 digital teachers over the next three years.

The training program includes a dedicated module for teachers, education facilitators, school principals and education officials, and offers a mixed learning course that combines self-learning and coaching for a period of up to six months, after which the trainees who meet the requirements will receive a certificate issued by The Digital School and approved by the Arizona State University. It is available in four languages: Arabic, English, French and Spanish.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum first launched The Digital School in November 2020, under the umbrella of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, as a strategic educational initiative aimed at providing digital learning options for students, especially in remote and developing areas.

In addition to increase the number of beneficiaries to one million students over the next five years, The Digital School aims to train 1,500 teachers in the next three years, and to expand the scope of the Alliance for the Future of Digital Learning to include more international institutions working to ensure access to education for all.

The latest announcement was made during a special event held at Expo 2020 Dubai.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said: “Our goal is to bring digital learning to new horizons as it is the education of the future and the future of education.”

Commenting on the initiative’s goal of providing learning opportunities for refugees, displaced persons and students in disadvantaged areas in different countries around the world, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid added: “In line with international standards in its educational and knowledge content, The Digital School articulates our belief that education is a right for all and that equal educational opportunities are the basis of comprehensive and sustainable development.”

“The Digital School seeks to enhance the future of education, ensure continuous innovation, and promote digital learning as a strategic investment for the future.”

The inauguration event was attended by Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance; Lieutenant General Sheikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior; Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs; and members of the board of directors of The Digital School.

Follow us on

For all the latest business news from the UAE and Gulf countries, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn, like us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube page, which is updated daily.

Abdul Rawuf

Abdul Rawuf