Mohammed Bin Rashid Smart Learning Program announces Guidelines for its innovation council

Dubai, 9th March, 2015 (WAM): In response to the initiatives launched by H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, to promote innovation in education throughout the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and in line with marking 2015 as the 'Year of Innovation' in the UAE, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Smart Learning Program (MBRSLP) today announced the completion of guidelines for the MBRSLP Innovation Council, whose members have recently been appointed.

MBRSLP Innovation Council consists of a group of teachers responsible for generating creative ideas to help develop the Program and strengthen it through field experiences. Members have access to students and teachers, and through research will ensure that the Program meets the required needs and maintains a standard of excellent on a continuous basis. The Council will also encourage inter-school sharing working between school boards.

The MBRSLP Innovation Council guidelines call for making regular field tours to promote exchange of innovative ideas and practices between schools, holding regular meetings with students and teachers alike to discuss and select the best innovations in curriculum development and extra-curricular activities.

"Since the Program was initiated in 2012, we have encouraged innovation in education to build a new generation of knowledge-seeking and innovation-oriented students away from the traditional routes of learning. We seek to encourage creative minds that produce new ideas and contribute to a true knowledge economy in the UAE," said Mohammed Gheyath, Director General of MBRSLP.

MBRSLP has recently launched a number of initiatives, including the Smart Radio across select schools starting this semester. The new platform will allow school radio broadcasts to be transmitted through the Internet allowing students to actively participate in and engage with each other and with their schools.

MBRSLP plans to hold periodic training for members of its support teams, in addition to special qualification exams and special courses to ensure members are certified. Training will be especially important to parents who will be able to track their child's performance through the Programs online platform which provides access to view lesson plans, assignments and progress reports. A designated Principals' Portal is intended to stimulate knowledge exchange between various school principals and allow them to share best practices and encourage peer to peer learning, increasing cooperation between the participating schools.

In the first semester, MBRSLP provided 3,543 laptops for teachers and 800 smart boards in classrooms, reaching 24,328 students across 146 schools in the UAE, including Grade 7, 8 and 9. Teachers received tablets and smart board training, including an introduction to computers, Operating Systems and internet resources.

The training equips educational administrators with both the confidence and knowhow to capitalise on the offerings of a smart classroom, design lesson plans and tests, and engage with students and their parents, using the MBRSLP portal.

WAM/tfaham