UAE’s Digital School for underprivileged: Who can enrol, what curriculum will it follow

The UAE’s Digital School will educate more than 20,000 underprivileged students in five countries this year, with its first operational phase inaugurated on Monday.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, said the school would enrol students from Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Mauritania and Colombia. The number of students will be increased to one million within five years.

During a special launch event at Expo 2020, Sheikh Mohammed said: “Our goal is to bring digital learning to new horizons as it is the education of the future and the future of education.”

Here is all what you need to know about the school.

What is The Digital School?

It is the first comprehensive digital school, providing distance education in a smart and flexible format. Students can join wherever they are, with a focus on the less fortunate, the disadvantaged and refugees in Arab nations and across the globe.

Who is The Digital School for?

The school provides learning opportunities for refugees, displaced persons and students in disadvantaged areas in different countries around the world. In its first year, the initiative will train 500 teachers, set up 120 learning centres, and provide world-class educational content in three languages: Arabic, French and Spanish.

What will the students study?

The Digital School provides digital study materials that are compatible with the Arab and international curricula. Students will get an opportunity to interact with a number of licensed teachers and their colleagues through virtual classrooms. It offers lessons in mathematics, science, Arabic, computer, and others. It contributes to student empowerment and enhances communication between students and educators through advanced tools to assess performance, promote self-learning, and ensure an interactive simulation of each student's needs.

Will students receive an accredited school diploma?

Educational programmes will be accredited by digital learning accreditation agencies such as Cognia, a non-profit organization that accredits schools through the United States and internationally. “We are also working closely with education ministries and relevant entities to establish a recognition and an accreditation model for digital education and future learning systems,” the Digital School website says.

How can students enroll?

There is no open enrollment currently. The school will coordinate with local authorities in each country to identify and enrol students.

What kind of partnerships does the school have?

It has built international partnerships with more than 30 educational, technical and development institutions around the world through the establishment of the Alliance for the Future of Digital Learning.

It has also signed agreements of support and strategic cooperation. The school has concluded agreements with leading charity, humanitarian and knowledge institutions, such as the Awqaf & Minors Affairs Foundation in Dubai, which allocated a sustainable endowment whose proceeds will help disseminate education through The Digital School; the Emirates Red Crescent Authority to establish 1,000 learning centres; a strategic cooperation agreement with Arizona State University in the training and capacity building of teachers; and Microsoft to collaborate in providing and developing modern digital education solutions.

The training programme includes a dedicated module for teachers, education facilitators, school principals and education officials. It offers a mixed learning course that combines self-learning and coaching for a period of up to six months, after which the trainees who meet the requirements will receive a certificate issued by The Digital School and approved by the Arizona State University. It is available in four languages: Arabic, English, French and Spanish.