Culture & Education | Monday 19 January, 2015 12:44 am |

Mohammed Bin Rashid Smart Learning Program (MBRSLP) today announced the introduction of several major educational initiatives for schools across the United Arab Emirates. The new developments and pilot programs aimed to benefit students, teachers and parents demonstrate the Program’s continuous improvement and innovative spirit that lies at the core of its mission.
The rollout of these new initiatives follows intensive review and assessment of the Program which involved many stakeholders. Now in its second year, the Program continues to be a strong catalyst in transforming the UAE’s education system in line with the Ministry of Education’s aspirations, as well as supporting the broader national vision for 2021. Through these efforts, the MBRSLP has been encouraging greater cooperation and a competitive outlook between the schools – over 147 institutions - involved in the Program. Similarly, along with the various new initiatives introduced, the Program will undoubtedly foster the generation of innovative advances as it works towards to improving the UAE’s education system.
“Since the Program was initiated in 2012, we have implemented many initiatives and made required changes to benefit the educational community of students, teachers, and parents to empower future leaders through the application of world class teaching techniques. The latest initiatives are in line with our overarching goal to provide quality world class educational options and programs that will drive our community forward,” said Mohammed Gheyath, Director General of MBRSLP.
The new programs and initiatives include:
Starting this semester, Smart Radio, will be launched across select schools. 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.

Periodic training for all members of the MBRSLP 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 that gives them access to view lesson plans, assignments, and progress reports. With knowledge and easy access to information and support, parents can engage more closely with teachers and principals to take part in their child’s education. The Program acts as an extension of the education system beyond the classroom.

The Global Education Forum, organised by Microsoft, this year will be launched under the auspices of the MBRSLP and the Ministry of Education. The event taking place on February 22nd to 23rd, will provide the opportunity for education stakeholders to discuss how technology can address key challenges in education. It will provide a prominent platform to share innovative best practices and learn from experts in the field.

A Principals’ Portal intended to stimulate knowledge exchange between school principals. The new platform will allow school principals to share best practices and will help encourage peer to peer learning, increasing cooperation between the various schools.

Additionally, members of the MBRSLP Innovation Council, consisting of a group of teachers responsible for providing creative ideas to help develop the Program and strengthen it through field experiences, were recently appointed. The members will have access to students and teachers and will be conducting research to ensure that the Program meets their needs and is improved on a continuous basis. The Council will also encourage inter-school sharing working between school boards and principals.