Egypt, UAE discuss ways to develop first Arab digital school

Proposed school aims to provide personalised, flexible remote learning experience to students across world

Bilateral discussions between Egypt and the UAE have taken place, on Wednesday, on ways to develop the first Arab digital school.
The discussions took place between Egypt's Minister of Education and Technical Education Tarek Shawky and the UAE's Minister of Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications Omar bin Sultan Al Olama.
The first comprehensive Arab digital school aims to provide a personalised and flexible remote learning experience to students anywhere in the world.
It will feature digital classes powered by cutting-edge technologies and Artificial Intelligence to enhance self-learning and skill development.
The Digital School was created primarily to empower refugees and under-served students. The initiative caters to young people irrespective of their social, economic, and educational backgrounds.
Shawky said that Egypt believes in the importance of digital learning, and that preparing generations who have scientific and life skills is imperative.
He expressed his ministry's readiness to fully cooperate and exchange experiences with the UAE to develop the Digital School, paving the way for establishing a distinct global Arab system for digital education.
Meanwhile, Al Olama said that the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic had provided an opportunity to use digital solutions in various vital sectors, including the educational sector.
These have helped the academic institutions accelerate the implementation of successful digital solutions.
He applauded the Egyptian experience, which has enabled distance learning for millions of students, and noted that this experience can be used to enrich the content and system of the digital school initiative.
The two sides stressed the importance of cooperation to enhance the Digital School's educational programmes, targeting more than one million learners during the first five years of the initiative, especially in needy communities and refugee camps.
The initiative aims to provide accredited and advanced digital education for one million students in the Arab region, especially for displacement and refugee camps, during the next five years.
This will take place using technology and applications of artificial intelligence (AI), to bridge the gap between the educational levels of students.
The Digital School was launched last November under the umbrella of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI).
The Digital School will blend live and self-paced virtual classes in Maths, Science, Arabic, Computer Studies, and English powered by interactive simulation, game-based learning, and AI-driven adaptive learning modules.
Virtual classrooms will enable students to interact with their teachers and fellow learners from all over the world. It will also help them attain a globally-recognised school certificate or credentials, that will enable them to complete their university education or apply for jobs.