Students gather in Abu Dhabi for 'e-ducation Without Borders 2003' Conference

The conference that will be held in the Federal National Council building in Abu Dhabi is being held under the patronage of the President of the United Arab Emirates, His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

The reputation and success of the first conference held in 2001 has spread around the educational institutions of the world from Australia to Zambia with a host of new countries now committed to attending the three-day event from 22 to 24 February that will feature some of the world's greatest thinkers, business leaders and inspirational figures.

New countries that will be represented this year include the world's most populous country and smaller island nations such as the Bahamas. Other new nations who will participate include Ireland, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Turkey, Nepal, Malaysia, Peru, Ecuador and Zambia.

Meanwhile conference organisers are anticipating the strongest delegations to participate will be from the US, Canada, UK, New Zealand, Switzerland, Hungary, India, South Africa, South Korea, Jordan and Lebanon. In total over 400 students will attend the event.

Conference Chair Dr. Tayeb Kamali said: "We have had an overwhelming response to our second e-ducation Without Borders Conference from young people and educational institutions around the world. To have students from so many countries wishing to attend is a fantastic tribute to the quality of the event.

"There is no doubt that our conference is becoming firmly established as a major event on the world's higher education calendar. It is also a wonderful opportunity to showcase the United Arab Emirates and the great strides our country has taken in the area applying information technology to enhance education for our young people. Our conference gives students from all over the world the opportunity to present papers to their peers and engage in dialogue on information technology and the challenges it presents for contemporary education."

The Higher Colleges of Technology have been a pioneer in the implementation of online learning with every course operated by its colleges and campuses across the UAE featuring some element of e-learning.

Keynote speakers at the conference include Dr. Edward de Bono, widely regarded as the world's leading authority on constructive thinking; NASA astronaut and physician Dr. Bernard Harris and Ms Liz Mohn, Supervisory Board member of Bertelsmann AG.

An opening address at the conference will be made by His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and Chancellor of the Higher Colleges of Technology. He will present a number of special awards to students who have presented outstanding papers during the conference.

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