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Belief In ICT To Support And Empower Education At El Sawy Culture Wheel
Published Jan 18, 2012
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In continuation to the “Intel Egypt Tomorrow - IT vision for a brighter future” initiative, Intel held its second public awareness session at El Sawy Culture Wheel in Cairo that aimed at discussing a number of solutions to how ICT can support and empower education in Egypt and opening up a debate with the audience.
Speakers on the panel included Advisor to the Minister of Education Dr. Ahmed Tobal, Founder and Chairman of Edu Systems International, Dr. Hassan El Kalla, TILO Director of Technology Partnerships and Smart Schools, Ms. Dina Khafafy, while the session was moderated by Intel Egypt Country Manager Eng. Karim El Fateh.
Multiple topics were discussed at the session, including the point that Information and Communication Technology is an engine to both economic and social development, not only will it add to Egypt’s social welfare through generating employment and revenue, but it also serves as a tool to improve the efficiency and productivity of other sectors of the economy through reducing both cost and time to enhance the overall competitiveness of the country.
Dr. Ahmed Tobal, Advisor to the Minister of Education said that “One of the Ministry’s goals is to enhance the current educational system to one that is more focused on the student’s active use of technology in the classroom.”.
During the session, Dr. Tobal stressed on the fact that one of the problems the Ministry of Education is facing is the effective training of the teachers. “Online training is one of the efficient tools that can provide the required training to the 1.2 Million teachers in Egypt, as such processes can be very costly and time consuming.” Dr. Tobal highlighted that the Ministry of Education will continue to invest in Information and Communication Technology.
Ms. Dina Kafafi, TILO Director of Technology Partnerships and Smart Schools, mentioned that TILO’s aim is to increase the accessibility of technology for students, in which they are seeking to secure a ratio of 2:1 of students to the Intel® Classmate PC. “Technology plays a key role in equipping students with the skills necessary to succeed in the workforce and beyond.” said Ms. Dina Kafafi
Dr. Hassan El Kalla, Founder and Chairman of Edu Systems International, said that“Technology in education can be a strong engine that drives any nation to success by unleashing its youths’ potential skills. The best educational system starts by giving students an opportunity to engage and interact with technology, for example when a teacher uses a smart board in a class room this is not an effective means of technological use in education. Students should be the ones experimenting with technology first hand.” He highlighted that students are actively seeking technology and as a proof of that the numbers of hits of skoool.com.eg increased to 114 million hits.
“Intel’s goal is to provide opportunities for people in Egypt to participate in today’s global economy through information and communications technologies - supporting substantial progress in connecting the next billion people to a world of opportunity. Intel is involved in education programs and advocacy in the field of technology to inspire tomorrow’s innovators and push forward a 21st Century Knowledge Economy globally and locally.” concluded Eng. Karim El Fateh. To succeed in the 21st century, students must develop digital literacy skills including gathering information, generation of content, interactive problem solving, and creation of media.
Over the next decade, nearly another half a billion people will enter the workforce and it’s unclear whether there will be economic viability and jobs to sustain this number. Investments in ICT will enable the “innovation economy” -- creating an environment in which new ideas thrive, creating paths for the industries of the future, and for economies to be competitive and thrive.
Intel’s goal is to be a vital part of Egypt’s innovation landscape by establishing a new culture through technology. Information technology enables knowledge and skill development for social and economic advancements and therefore Intel’s second session was aimed at generating awareness about the importance of technology for Egypt’s infrastructure, unlimited potential and forthcoming opportunities concerning education and innovation.
About Intel
Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) is a world leader in computing innovation. The company designs and builds the essential technologies that serve as the foundation for the world’s computing devices. Additional information about Intel is available at newsroom.intel.com and blogs.intel.com.
Posted by
VMD - [Virtual Marketing Department]
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