UAE provides educational chances to the world's underprivileged students

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, Chairman of the Board of Directors of The Digital School, highlighted that the UAE spreads education and knowledge, and provides ideal educational options for all less fortunate students around the world. It does so through adopting modern technology and advanced digital technologies to enhance future opportunities for generations and improve people’s lives.

The statement was made while the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives’ (MBRGI) showcased its comprehensive humanitarian achievements and its international contributions across several pillars of spreading education and knowledge, empowering communities.

It also presented the most important achievements and results achieved by The Digital School during the participation of the UAE government delegation in the High-Level Political Forum held annually on Sustainable Development Goals at the United Nations’ Headquarters in New York. Huda Alhashimi, Deputy Minister of Cabinet Affairs for Strategic Affairs and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of The Digital School, said: “The Digital School today is providing digital learning to a cohort of 20K students in 5 countries, in three languages. Also, 500 educators have been trained and certified to be digital educators in collaboration with Arizona State University.

The Digital School is targeting to enrol 1 million students by 2026. The Digital School will chart new global milestones for the future of digital education for those who need it most”. During the Forum, a new phase of strategic partnership was announced with Arizona State University, with the aim of expanding cooperation between The Digital School and Arizona State University to provide digital teacher training courses on a global level and cooperating in developing digital education standards and digital educators.

The agreement was signed by Dr. Waleed Al Ali, Secretary General of The Digital School, and Amy McGrath, deputy Vice President of Arizona State University for Educational Communication, in the presence of several officials and participants in the conference. Omar Sultan Al Olama said the UAE government promotes international integration and cooperation aimed at providing the new generation of students with digital skills and capabilities that enable them to build a sustainable future.

It also supports international efforts to ensure educational opportunities and build an integrated educational system to ensure the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. He added that the cooperation agreements and partnerships that The Digital School forged with various governments, educational institutions, international organisations and specialised companies, aim to raise the level of education and provide the new generation, especially in regions and communities that do not have appropriate opportunities, with the necessary science and knowledge capabilities.

It aims to do this through employing technology solutions, artificial intelligence applications, and digital learning options, to enable the new generation to lead the future and actively participate in promoting the global development process. A New Era of Global Digital Collaboration The new phase will focus on expanding the existing cooperation between The Digital School and Arizona State University, through three pillars. The first pillar includes cooperation in the establishment of the Global Digital Training Institute, where work will be done to introduce and develop approved professional development programmes for teachers and expand them around the world. Both parties will collaborate in facilitating access to these programmes, with the aim of reaching 10,000 teachers across the globe.

The second pillar will focus on providing internationally recognised certificates and standards for digital teacher training. The two parties will cooperate in employing their respective expertise and extensive network in developing digital education standards and digital teachers. The third pillar will focus on thought leadership of digital education, as the two parties will work on a series of public virtual webinars that will address the most prominent topics of digital education and its developments, especially in less fortunate areas.

As Arizona State University is a global pioneer in digital education, it will share its expertise in developing and executing these specialised programmes. These webinars will spread the concept of digital education, contribute to international efforts, and share The Digital School’s experiences with the world.