Lughati gives 13,000 smart tablets to Sharjah’s students

As UAE schools began rolling out remote learning programmes this week as directed by the Ministry of Education (MoE), Lughati, a Sharjah-based initiative dedicated to empowering the national Arabic curriculum with smart learning tools, has announced its cooperation with the ministry’s ‘Distance Learning’ initiative to ensure continuity of classes while schools remain closed as a precautionary measure against the COVID-19 pandemic.

A total of 13,000 smart tablets distributed to primary-level students in public schools in Sharjah by Lughati will be utilised to implement MoE’s distance learning initiative.

The move is based on the directives and support of Sheikha Bodour Bint Sultan Al Qasimi, and comes as part of Lughati’s continued efforts to raise the standards of education and learning for students, and targets students from kindergarten to Grade 3 across Sharjah city, as well as the Central and Eastern Regions of the emirate, who received the tablets.

Badria Al Ali, Manager of the Lughati Initiative, said: “Lughati’s cooperation in the ‘Distance Learning’ initiative reflects our commitment to a national cause which requires the support of educational entities across the board to be successful in achieving our leadership’s goal to protect and safeguard our students, while ensuring the continuity of education during this difficult phase.”

She added: “Lughati’s successful experience over the years in building and implementing smart education systems will contribute effectively to MoE’s initiative. Our programme has provided the young generation with the skills and confidence to utilise smart education tools and yielded great results, which are evident in the academic achievements of students enrolled into our initiative. We are confident that MoE’s initiative will have a positive impact on Lughati’s students, in both Sharjah’s kindergarten or primary government schools.”

For her part, Fawzia Gharib, Assistant Undersecretary for the School Operations Sector at the Ministry of Education, lauded the decision by Lughati initiative which is in line with the efforts of the ministry’s state-of-the-art virtual learning experience that meets the demands for teaching the national curricula in public schools.

She praised the cooperation between various educational entities, including Lughati, which provides specialised Arabic language learning content designed to enrich student knowledge and advances their academic performance.

 “The cooperation between various educational institutions during the ‘Distance Learning’ initiative helped provide high-quality solutions for this phase. Their contributions reflect the directives and visions of our wise leadership to invest heavily in educational technology due to the vital and focal role it will play in the future, which will be beneficial to the educational outcomes across the country,” Gharib said.

The supporting of Arabic education in public schools in Sharjah using state-of-the-art technology was officially announced in 2013 by His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan Bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, as part of his initiatives that aim to develop the education sector in the emirate, and help children endear the Arabic language in modern, smart and simple ways.

In January 2016, His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah approved the initiative under its new identity ‘Lughati’, in response to requirements for development in smart learning methods that pave the way for creating a knowledge-based society and advancing educational outputs. Lughati is introducing smart devices, software and training to learning environments across Sharjah to enhance creativity and encourage an engaging and proactive approach to the integration of Arabic into everyday use.

The initiative also manages training programmes for both faculty members and students to better equip them with the technical knowledge needed to effectively incorporate the scheme.