It provides smart education and cooperates with international organizations to obtain accreditation

Mohammed bin Rashid launches the "digital school" in 4 countries

• Mohammed bin Rashid confirmed that the “digital school” will provide smart education for students wherever they are.

  From the source

• The Crown Prince of Dubai attends the special ceremony to announce the launch of the "digital school".

  From the source

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His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, launched the digital school yesterday, one of the projects of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives Foundation, and the first integrated and accredited Arab digital school that provides remote education in a smart and flexible way for students from Various socio-economic backgrounds and educational levels, and from any country in the world, targeting primarily the most vulnerable and disadvantaged community groups and refugees in Arab societies and the world.

His Highness also inaugurated the "Alliance for the Future of Digital Learning", in order to mobilize specialized expertise in the education and technology sector, to support and develop digital learning, and to supervise the establishment and development of the digital school.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said: “Our goal is to provide the highest quality education in the best possible way for all students, especially in areas of asylum, conflict and less fortunate societies.” His Highness affirmed that “digital education is the education of the future and the future of education, and we want to be at the heart of changes. New in this area ».

His Highness added the news of the school’s launch via a tweet on “Twitter” yesterday, in which he said: “We launched, with the grace of God, the (digital school) today. It will provide smart education for students wherever they are, and it will work with international organizations to obtain academic accreditation for its curricula. And our goal is one million regular students from disadvantaged groups within five years. ”

His Highness affirmed in his tweet that "there is a scientific and educational gap in our Arab world, and we have millions of children who lose years of education due to economic conditions or conflicts, and if no one moves to address these challenges, generations will come led by ignorance and extremism instead of leading their homelands with the light of science and knowledge."

The digital school, which targets more than one million students in the first five years, will provide a modern educational curriculum, based on the latest innovation and artificial intelligence techniques, in order to enhance students' abilities to self-learn and acquire knowledge and skills in various fields.

His Highness pointed out that "digital education is the shortest distance between our Arab educational reality and our knowledge aspirations for our Arab generations," adding, "Our support for building educational platforms is an investment in people, their knowledge and their future."

His Highness indicated that "the Alliance for the Future of Digital Learning will contribute to uniting global efforts in the field of digital education, to achieve real progress in it."

This came during a special celebration organized by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives Foundation, in the Emirates Towers in Dubai, under the patronage and presence of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, accompanied by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation.

The ceremony, which was attended by the Secretary-General of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives Foundation, Mohammed Abdullah Al Gergawi, was followed by a press conference to announce the details of the digital school project and the Alliance for the Future of Digital Learning, in the presence of a large number of representatives of local, Arab and international media.

The digital school provides an advanced educational model that goes beyond the traditional curricula and employs artificial intelligence, by providing a smart personal learning plan for each student, his activities and interaction, based on data analysis systems, and customizing the learning process according to the performance and skills of each student separately, while making use of the digital teacher to support The student in his education plan and following up on his achievement, in addition to providing a comprehensive 360-degree evaluation mechanism, on an ongoing basis within the learning stages.

The school's digital curriculum includes digital lessons and educational materials in mathematics, science, Arabic, computer, English and others, and will provide classroom sessions in a virtual manner, based on self-learning, interactive simulation, and game-based learning, all supported by data analysis and artificial intelligence systems. In order to enhance the environment of creativity and innovation, and keep pace with the latest educational and educational trends and methods in the 21st century.

The "Future of Digital Learning Alliance", launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, is the first of its kind in the region and the world.

In addition to its role in supporting and developing digital learning, and overseeing the establishment of the digital school, the alliance will enable digital schools to launch the latest initiatives and innovations in the field of education, develop mechanisms, practices and technologies for digital education, and set standards and work guides for the future of digital education and its services.

The alliance includes in its membership the Board of Advisors, who are elite specialists in digital education and education from international universities, such as Harvard University, Stanford University, New York University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), in addition to consultants from institutions and non-profit organizations such as the mEducation Alliance.

These consultants contribute to laying the foundations of the digital school, its vision, goals, and strategy, as well as developing ideas and visions.

The launch of the digital school comes at this time, after the emerging coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic has shed light on the challenges that education faces today, as the global epidemic has disrupted the educational process in many countries, and some traditional educational systems have had to cancel The current semester or academic year.

The digital school adds, as a vital initiative, to the global efforts to maintain the continuity of education in all circumstances, and in isolation from the repercussions of the outbreak of the new Corona virus, especially since many societies around the world face challenges in terms of both traditional and digital education systems, which is reflected in the lack of Resources, capabilities, and the difficulty of obtaining a quality education, due to the small number of schools and the high cost of building them, and the continuous decrease in the number of teachers, in addition to the difficulty faced by millions of disadvantaged students or refugees living in remote or isolated areas, in accessing schools, which negatively affects the quality Education and its outcomes.

The digital school falls under the umbrella of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives Foundation, within the axis of spreading education and knowledge, which is one of the most prominent sectors of the foundation’s work within the framework of a vision based on the importance of supporting cultural and knowledge work, and upgrading the educational systems in the Arab world, and the less fortunate societies. Through dozens of programs, projects and campaigns implemented by various institutions and initiatives under the parent institution.

The digital school will contribute to the empowerment of refugee students, or the less fortunate, and to ensure the provision of high-quality education, by providing study and digital enrichment materials that are compatible with Arab and international curricula, and provide the opportunity for interaction between teachers and students through virtual classrooms, and in the future it will provide internationally accredited certificates that enable students to Complete their university studies, or get jobs in institutions and companies.

The digital school will select teachers, and determine their work mechanism within specific criteria that ensure that each of them perform the tasks of the digital teacher in a highly efficient manner, as these teachers will act as advisors and mentors to students remotely.

Among the criteria set by the digital school in selecting its teachers is the need for them to possess a variety of skills and abilities, to maintain the quality of education provided in the school, including high capabilities in the field of research, innovation and creativity, and the ability to communicate effectively with students, and demonstrate leadership and initiative, Along with many organizational and personal skills.

The digital school is scheduled to start its work in an experimental phase, starting from November until August 2021, in four Arab countries, with the aim of experimenting with systems and content and their suitability for the target groups in various classes, studying the extent of student interaction and their response to the approved curricula, and making use of observations in developing Its working mechanisms and the development of its systems, and the standards related to the accreditation of education

Digital.

The pilot phase targets 20,000 students in those countries, at the rate of three lessons per week, over a period of about three months.

After the experimental phase is over, the feedback of students, teachers and parents will be used, strengthening the strengths and addressing weaknesses, provided that the digital school will start receiving the first batch of students in September of the 2021/2022 academic year. .

The digital school will adopt a smart evaluation mechanism, which will help students to self-learn and acquire knowledge and skills.

The student’s educational attainment will be assessed through a set of inputs, such as tests, questions, activities, tasks, and smart system analysis.

There will also be periodic follow-up from the digital teacher or mentor in a new, advanced and unconventional way.

With regard to the academic certificates that the digital school is working on, it will be accredited by the most important bodies specialized in digital accreditation, such as Cognia, a non-profit organization that works to evaluate and accredit schools and certificates in the United States and internationally.

The digital school also works in coordination with the ministries of education, and relevant institutions, to create an accreditation model that supports digital education and future education systems.

Accreditations will be issued within the standards of internationally approved digital certificates, and an evidence of achievement will be added to the student's file, noting that a number of learning centers affiliated and cooperating with the digital school will be established, with the aim of providing technology and the Internet to students, especially in remote and remote areas.

These centers will act as laboratories for digital learning and for holding official examinations, according to each country and its laws.

Digital infrastructure in refugee camps

The General Coordinator of the Digital School, Walid Al Ali, confirmed in a press statement, facing the challenges of weak digital infrastructure in refugee camps and poor countries targeted by the program, through coordination with the relevant authorities, to ensure that the targeted students receive their educational program without any obstacles.

He explained that digital education does not require more than student registration, and the availability of a computer connected to the Internet, in order to be able to join his class from his home.

He added that the pilot phase targets students in grades eight, nine and tenth in four countries, including Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and Syria, as the ages of these groups are the most comprehensible, which helps the initiative teams to accurately measure the results after the experiment.

He stated that the results of the pilot phase, which will be announced in September 2021, will determine the classes that can be added in the future, the absorptive capacity, and the number of students in the various stages of education, with a focus on increasing the countries targeted in the initiative according to the time frame and the approved roadmap.

And on whether education is limited to pre-university education students only, he emphasized that the school operates in a flexible system, with the aim of empowering learners and providing them with future skills with all its contents and variables.

It is expected that the outputs of this type of education will be "exceptional" in terms of knowledge, educational capabilities and skills, as well as their readiness to continue their educational path, through the digital school, or in coordination with universities after obtaining a high school diploma.

Al Ali added that the institution has set a number of criteria for selecting teachers participating in the digital school.

He said that after the trial period of the initiative ends, the criteria for selecting teachers will be announced and the door to volunteering will be opened for those interested.

He explained that in the current stage, teachers in the targeted areas of the initiative will be relied upon, after subjecting them to intensive training in digital education.

The teachers will collaborate with a number of certified teachers, who will work closely with student groups as guides and facilitators of their learning process.

Members of the Digital Learning Alliance

The Board of Advisors includes: Head of Technology, Assistant Dean of the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University, Dr. Paul Kim, Professor of Learning Technologies at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE), Dr. Chris Diddy, and Professor of Comparative Media Studies and Education at MIT MIT Director of Schiller Teacher Education Program Director of The Education Arcade, Dr. Eric Kloppfer.

Members also include the Paulette Goddard Chair Professor in Digital Media and Learning Sciences, Professor at New York University, President of CREATE Lab, Dr Jan Blas, and of Harvard University, Professor Fernardo Reimers, and Executive Director and founder of mEducation Alliance, Anthony Blume.

Keen to diversify the base of its members and partners, the "Alliance for the Future of Digital Learning" includes in its membership experts from educational, technology and communication technology companies.

Many humanitarian agencies and institutions in the Emirates, such as Dubai Cares and the Emirates Red Crescent Authority, will join the coalition, to be partners and supporters of the coalition.

Al-Olama Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Digital School

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum directed the formation of the Board of Directors of the Digital School Initiative, headed by the Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, Omar bin Sultan Al Olama.

The digital school is the first Arab digital school of its kind to provide integrated education remotely, by making use of technology and its smart solutions, to enable students of various levels and scientific levels around the world to have flexible digital education, especially refugee students and students of fragile societies.

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