Graduates awarded technical qualifications from Microsoft in ceremony at Bahrain's Ministry of Education

As part of the Microsoft IT Academy and under the Microsoft Partners in Learning global initiative, a total of 61 graduates completed the Certified Technical Trainer (CTT+) course and the Computerizing Learning Lessons course receiving their certifications.

The courses the graduates completed, collectively called 'Training the Trainer,' provide teachers with basic IT skills and trains them to use IT and technical instruction techniques in the classroom. The program is part of the Directorate of Training at the Ministry of Education, which was announced as the Gulf region's first Microsoft certified IT academy for teacher training last November.

The Microsoft IT Academy is part of a memorandum of understanding signed in June 2004 between Microsoft and the Bahraini Ministry of Education to provide improved information and communication technology (ICT) education to students at Bahraini schools under Microsoft's Partners in Learning (PiL) global initiative.

The Academy offers teachers training on how to incorporate technology into the learning process effectively, and also trains them on ways of making lessons more interesting for their pupils by using technology. 'One of the most important objectives is to give teachers and educational specialists the confidence to develop innovative, customized approaches for the use of computers in their classrooms and allow them to be more creative,' said Sherif Bayoumi, 'So far we have trained 1000 teachers under the program and we hope to continue and train even more this year' he added.

Under Microsoft's Partners in Learning (PiL) global initiative, Microsoft is partnering with Governments, Ministries of Education, and other key stakeholders to offer a variety of education resources that empower teachers and students alike to realize their full potential, allowing them to improve the standard of education by incorporating technology into their daily education routine.