Madrasa e-learning gets 2m users in its first year

It's been a year since the Madrasa e-learning platform set out on its mission to make high-tech education accessible to everyone in the Arab world. Now, over two million students are using it regularly, with the site racking up over 45 million views since the launch.
Its Arabised educational videos are getting around 15,000 views every day, and 6,000 new subscribers are added daily, proving how Madrasa - the biggest platform of its kind - has been making waves across the Arab world.
When His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, launched the platform in October last year, he said: "Our first priority is education, second priority is education, and third priority is education. I would like to tell you that [this platform] is just the beginning. Our journey will continue."
Madrasa is more than just a platform with 5,000 free Arabised videos in science and math, it's part of a mission that will benefit at least 1,000 far-flung villages across the world.
In fact, the team of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI) is preparing to take the platform to areas with no Internet connection, including those in Senegal.
By the end of the year, the reach of its offline educational content will be expanded to 25 more countries.
Shaping the next innovators
Saeed Al Eter, assistant secretary-general of the MBRGI, said: "Madrasa e-learning platform reflects the vision of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum that every child has the right to education."
He added that the initiative responds to the need to develop and enrich Arabic educational content and make it accessible to the largest segment of students in the Arab world.
The aim is to establish Madrasa as a reference that supports all Arab students and empowers teachers, according to Dr Waleed Al Ali, director of Madrasa platform at the MBRGI.  
Through the platform's videos in general science, math, biology, chemistry and physics for students from kindergarten to Grade 12, Madrasa seeks to inspire, motivate and prepare the next generation of Arab researchers, scientists, mathematicians and innovators, he added.
The platform will soon offer Arabic language lessons to 50 million Arab students.
Then, there are plans to add videos on computer science, engineering, programming, artificial intelligence and space science lessons, Al Ali said.
Students become 'stars'
With the start of the new academic year, Madrasa adopted the "gamification in education" approach to enrich online content and motivate students to learn.
Under Madrasa's 'Learn and Play', subscribers get the chance to compete in scientific contests and puzzles. Those who score the highest points earn badges that could get them a spot on the 'Madrasa stars' list.
4m join '1000 contest'
The platform's daily '1000X1000" competition recorded a whopping four million participants.Students get the chance to win $1,000 by answering one question a day for 1,000 days. So far, more than 300 winners have been announced.  A total of $1 million worth of awards will be given away.
reporters@khaleejtimes.com