e-Taalim

One of the important initiatives undertaken by the leading Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation (MBRF) is the research conducted in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) about the knowledge situation and perspectives in the Arab World.

The resulting report of this research was launched during the Arab strategy forum on October 28^th, 2009.

Concerning the use of ICT for education, it was concluded that some Arab states have taken initiatives to use ICT in the various stages of education. These efforts, in spite of their importance, remain less than what is required and possible.

Computer-per pupil ratios in pre-university education are still low, and schools generally lack the ability to access the internet. By comparing school access to the internet in the Arab countries with that of all the countries of the world for which data are available, we find that some Arab countries (UAE, Qatar, and Tunisia) placed (at 5, 4.8, and 4.9 respectively) higher than the global score of 3.74 while some other countries, such as Egypt and Jordan placed close to the latter (at 3.1 and 3.9 respectively), and yet others, such as Mauritania (at 1.9) , placed in the lower ranks and far below the global average in this field. ((country performance assessment scale ranging from one to seven.)

According to the report, the number of virtual Universities in the Arab World is as little as six while the number of online Universities and colleges in the USA is for instance around 200.

It was also reported that a number of Arab countries over the last decade have created computer networks to link their universities.

The Consortium of Arab Mediterranean Research and Education Networks (CAMREN), which aims to set up the infrastructure for e-services and applications to assist researchers in the region.

It is planned that this project will allow the utilisation of computing resources available in the partner institutions via networked computing applications. Such projects secure the high computing power necessary to utilise specialist software such as simulation and virtual reality applications. They help to create new learning environments based on multimedia applications, online lectures, and other means to enrich Arabic content on the net and escape the traditional approaches prevailing in many Arab educational institutions.

The lessons derived from a review of global trends in exploiting ICT in education can be summarised as follows:

1. Introduction of wholesale changes to educational curricula to make it possible to offer them on the internet.

2. Eradication of computer illiteracy for workers in all aspects of education and educational administration.

3. Provision of schools with appropriate computer hardware and internet access, and reliance on open source software at all educational levels.

4. Development and deployment of the concepts, tools, and software of selflearning.

5. Strengthening the partnership between school, home, and community by utilising available technology.