Educationis critical for nation's social and economic growth & development. Nowadays, Information & Communication Technology (ICT) is critical for all sectors. It is a key enabler for transforming the education sector to address the challenges and seize opportunities to increase efficiency, qualityand agility in educational services. This was the key messageofEtisalat's presentation on the opening day of Learning Technologies MENA Conferencein Dubai today. Etisalat is the strategic ICT partner of the 3-day conference. Etisalat's experience in the ICT domain for education sector was the focus of the opening day presentation:ICT Solutions for A New Era in Education - Opportunities &Challenges, whichhighlighted the telco'scomprehensive ICT solutions portfolio. Etisalatis the major contributor to the UAE ICT fund and the ICT strategic partner of major government initiatives. “For more than 35years, Etisalat has played a pioneering role in shaping the future of the country through innovation and reliability in the ICT domain. Integrating technology into the education sectorwillproduce a better outcome through transformations in curriculum, accessibility, learning methods, parents' involvement, administration and governance. Etisalat is well positioned to support the education sector in this transformation by leveraging on its end-to-end ICT solutions, capacity to deliver mega initiatives, proven track record and long-standing commitment to the education sector,"said Basim Darwish, Senior Solution Architect at Etisalat. Showcasing the company's successful ICT integration for the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) project, Etisalat demonstrated how it had helped elevate the quality of education in Abu Dhabi to the international standards in over 300 schools. More than 500 Etisalat staff worked on the project for two years to ensure access to high-quality educationfor students through an advanced ICT infrastructure. Etisalat's recent ICT initiatives include the region's firstLTE/4G network rollout and the first massive scale fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) deployment, which provided customers withthe fastest broadband service in region.This infrastructure,in addition tothe company's other initiatives, is designedto enable the economic and social development of UAE into knowledge-based society. The 3-day interactive forum will showcase transformational innovation in the fields of learning and technology and focus on both the theoretical and practical elements of digital learning. Hosting international education leaders and innovators, as well as regional pioneers, the conference will provide regional regulators, school leaders, curriculum heads and educators with inspirational methods on how to break down traditional classroom barriers and re-think learning strategies. It will also provide practical realistic strategies for successfully integrating technologies that improve learning experiences and outcomes in the Middle East, with a strong focus on multicultural and multilingual learning.
