Ministers from Egypt and the United Arab Emirates have come together to develop a new online education system to provide a first-class education for disadvantaged communities, called the “Digital School”.
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 Egyptian Education Minister Tarek Shawki met this week to discuss the development and implementation of the platform.
The Digital School, which is the first comprehensive Arab online school, aims to reach one million disadvantaged students in the next five years and increase the quality of online education throughout the Arab world.
Olama and Shawki discussed setting the criteria for digital learning and establishing specialized teams to follow the implementation progress.
The meeting also addressed 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.
Olama said the pandemic accelerated the implementation of digital solutions across important fields, especially education. It also encouraged schools and universities to explore new ways of delivering lessons to their students.
The Emirati minister also highlighted the significant role of regional and global partnerships in improving the e-learning experience, saying, “Technology enables us to provide a flexible and personalized 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.”
Shawki added that the new collaboration will equip the next Arab generation with both academic and life skills that enable them to compete globally. “Digital education endorses self-learning and lifelong learning among students. Regional collaborations to develop digital education initiatives help create a solid system that responds to the 21st-century skills,” he said.
The UAE is already testing the platform’s content in Jordan, among primary students at Mrajeeb Al Fhood refugee camp in Jordan.
