Kuwait’s Ministry of Education wins ‘Technology Initiative Award’ for accelerating digital transformation in education

Sunday 28 May 2017

Kuwait - MENA Herald: In recognition of its efforts in establishing a strategic vision for driving innovation in the country and to transform the educational system through the use of latest digital technologies, the Kuwait Ministry of Education received a ‘Technology Initiative Award’ during the prestigious annual Bett Middle East awards ceremony; held at the Dusit Thani, Abu Dhabi.

BETT (British Education and Training Technology) has established itself as a global meeting place for the education technology community. Through its ongoing series of world-class events, it continues to promote the discovery of technology and knowledge to enhance lifelong learning. The Bett Awards aim to recognize, reward and celebrate creativity and innovation found throughout the region’s education sector by honoring outstanding resources and learning solutions. Hundreds of entries to the Bett Awards were judged by several education professionals to ensure a fair and meticulous process.

The award was received by Dr Khaled Al Rushaid, Assistant Undersecretary, Ministry of Education Kuwait, on behalf of the Ministry for its IT infrastructure modernization project that hosts more than 300,000 users and delivers services to faculty, teachers and students across the country.

Under the umbrella of the infrastructure modernization project, the Ministry’s 1 to 1 initiative was launched to provide tablets for all teachers and students in Kuwait. Phase 1 of this initiative targeted 82,000 students and teachers across 6 school districts. The project’s primary aim is to empower teachers with latest technologies that enables them to deliver enhanced learning experiences to meet the needs for 21st century learners; increasing student engagement, fostering collaboration amongst them and equipping them with essential digital skills required for the modern workplace.

MOE’s 1 to 1 project promotes integration of technology with education by providing teachers and students with Microsoft Windows Devices pre-installed with learning materials and properly configured applications for easy use.

As part of this project, 1000 teachers across 6 school districts in Kuwait have been trained to become Master trainers through a “Train the Trainer” program. These teachers are now equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to train other teachers on how to use technology effectively and engage with students in the classroom.

“The Ministry of Education strives to integrate technology in education to inspire and support learning in classrooms, while simultaneously addressing both students and educators’ needs.” Said Dr Khaled AlRushaid, Assistant Undersecretary, Ministry of Education Kuwait. “We have always aimed at fostering systematic improvement in education through capacity building and enhancing the quality of teaching and learning by leveraging modern technologies. It is an honour to receive the ‘Technology Initiative Award’ in the category of excellence in education, and we would like to thank our partners, Microsoft, for their support. This recognition underscores our commitment towards leadership and excellence, and to promote e-learning across institutes in Kuwait.”

The project has helped serve MOE’s objective to scale and smoothly disperse knowledge to teachers across the country by fostering inter school collaboration. In addition, teachers in Ahmadi school district are collaborating to create the first e-Book in Arabic around the usage of Microsoft tools in education.

” Technology has an immense power to transform teaching and learning, and accelerate the impact of education across nations. Microsoft remains committed to empowering students and educators, enabling them to leverage technology to achieve more.” Said Charles Nahas, Country General Manager, Microsoft Kuwait. “We are honoured to partner with the Ministry of Education and congratulate them on winning this award. MOE and Microsoft share the same vision for building teachers’ capacity and promote digital transformation in education to provide students with the right technical skills; by facilitating the best programs for training educators in an increasingly technology-driven global economy

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