UAE, Microsoft sign deal

Abu Dhabi - According to Microsoft, only 10 per cent of girls and 90 per cent of boys pursue technology after 16 years.

 The UAE is among the first countries to sign an agreement with Microsoft meant to improve education. The partnership was sealed on Wednesday, during the opening of the two-day Bett Middle East Leadership Forum on education in the Arab region.
"Microsoft has launched a best practices in education global initiative and the UAE is the third country to sign, after Argentina and Finland. By the end of May, more countries will sign and we will have an exhibition where we will share our best practices," said Marwan Al Sawaleh, assistant undersecretary of the Ministry of Education.
The initiative, Leading Countries of the World in Transforming Education, brings together regional trend-setting education officials who have taken the most significant leaps in using technology to make classrooms more engaging.
"The UAE was invited to join the initiative particularly for its smart education programmes such as the Mohammed bin Rashid Smart Learning Programme and transforming learning experiences," Anthony Salcito, Microsoft's Worldwide Education vice-president, told Khaleej Times. Change, transformation and technology were the key words that resonated throughout the Bett Middle East conference. A global education technology exhibition and forum series, Bett was held for the first time in Abu Dhabi since its inception in UK in 2012, attracting over 600 education experts and officials from all over the world, who travelled to Abu Dhabi to hear about the latest technologies in education.
Dr Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, director-general of the Abu Dhabi Education Council, an avid supporter of technology in classrooms, said the time of schoolbooks is coming to an end. Smart phones, apps, robots are what inspire the 21st century kids to learn, and the change needs to start with teachers.
It is not just teachers that need to embrace technology, though. According to Microsoft, only 10 per cent of girls and 90 per cent of boys pursue technology after 16 years.
silvia@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE