• Home
• /
• Business

Etisalat offers latest IT tools to UAE schools

DUBAI - Emirates Telecommunications Corporation (Etisalat), represented by the newly formed e-Company, yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the UAE Ministry of Education and Youth to provide cutting-edge information technology to schools across the nation.

Dr Mohamed Khalfan bin Kharbash, Minister of State for Finance and Industry and Etisalat's Chairman, and Dr Ali Abdel Aziz Al Sharhan, Minister of Education and Youth, signed the MoU that will enable Etisalat to play a major role in the country's long-term education development.

The MoU is part of Etisalat's social responsibilities initiatives. "This MoU is testimony to Etisalat's dedication to supporting the government sectors in general and the education system in particular because of its importance for the future of the UAE," said Dr Kharbash.

Under this MoU, the Ministry of Education will outsource to Etisalat IT projects such as the provisioning of PCs, software applications, technical training of the Ministry's staff, IT solutions and providing network connectivity and management for public and private schools to the Ministry's premises in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

"Etisalat has been the catalyst for change and a key driver of progress and development in the UAE. We believe that we have a key role to play in creating and developing the knowledge economy of the country," Kharbash added.

The project will cover more than 700 Ministry schools and 400 private schools. A task force will be assigned to carry out the feasibility and the implementation of this agreement. "We are in the process of setting up a joint working group with representatives from Etisalat and the Ministry of Education to finalise the the method of implementation. It is not a one time project, rather an ongoing initiative," said Ahmed Abdulkareem Julfar, General Manager of e-Company.

Speaking after signing the MoU with Etisalat, Dr Sharhan said, "We want our students to be technology leaders, innovators and creators so that our country is at the forefront of future developments. This partnership with Etisalat will help us move towards this goal."