IBM leads e-Learning and education sector across the region

With a strong focus on education and e-learning in the region and on a worldwide level, IBM has for many years been a strong supporter of the education sector, working closely with private and public sector institutions to advance the use of technology in education.

"We are heavily investing in the development of the education sector and we have dedicated a full team to work closely with private and public education institutes to build careers and enhance student resource capabilities" said Samer Shaar, General Manager of IBM Middle East, Egypt and Pakistan.

The slew of education announcements made at GITEX include the implementation of a wireless infrastructure for the British University in Dubai, a universal access solution at the Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST), equipping Dubai's Al Mawakeb with over 550 ThinkPad notebooks and a 300 ThinkPad notebook deal with the Smart School in Kuwait to equip it with advanced mobile education capabilities.

"There is a clear message here. IBM is the ideal partner for educational institutions," said Shaar.

The British University in Dubai is a profit free provider of world class scholarship, education and research based in Knowledge Village. It gives a distinctive British contribution to the higher educational system in the UAE. The successful implementation of IBM ThinkPad Laptops, ThinkCentres, and IBM's eServer xSeries Intel-based servers through IBM partner VTME, has enabled the university to set up a strong IT infrastructure to its 130 student and faculty members. The new system encompasses a scalable and cost effective environment compared to a purely wired solution.

"IBM's wireless technology adds new benefits and value to our students and allows the university to make fully use of the infrastructure," said David J. Lock, Registrar and Acting Chief Executive, British University in Dubai. "It will save us a lot of money, enabling us to grow and scale our network accordingly. IBM's on-demand technology has seamlessly given us freedom and flexibility we need."

Concurrently, IBM has provided Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST) with the ThinkPad University Program (TPU), an IBM solution for universal access in higher education institutions and universities that provides universal access to the world of information by issuing a notebook computer to every student, faculty member and staff. TPU targets in GUSTs first stage Information Technology College with 400 IBM ThinkPad T42 notebooks. GUST is a private university in Kuwait, established in 2002 in association with University of Missouri (USA) to offer higher education in Arts, Business, Science and Technology.

"IBM's TPU solution has enhanced the university's teaching capabilities, as well as its students' productivity level, educational experience, and overall competitiveness in the marketplace", said Dr. Ahmed Honyail from GUST. "TPU refines the typical tasks of education, homework, and research, while it revolutionizes communication in a mannor not previously possible."

Dubai's Al Mawakeb school has implemented a mobile resource for its students comprising 565 IBM ThinkPad R51 notebook computers pre-loaded with e-books as part of the school's N4B (Notebooks for books) project. The radical project has created a wireless education resource for Al Mawakeb's grade 11 and 12 classes with wireless classrooms and classroom servers, multimedia projectors and whiteboards being used in a wired and wireless blended learning environment.

Adonis Nasr, director at Al Mawakeb commented, "We trialled the concept using another vendor's products but rejected them and we're really pleased to be working with IBM, with better technology, fewer compatibility isues and more support from a serious organization that is dedicated and committed to working with partners in education. What tipped the balance for us was IBM's tremendous experience in education. The school has now advanced to the next level of academic evolution."

IBM has also provided the Smart School in Kuwait 300 units IBM Thinkpad R 50, ThinkVantage technology encluding migration and uptime, access IBM, rescue and recovery and system migration assistant (SMA). The project included providing wireless access connections and integrated 802.11 BG. Smart School is a new school in Kuwait that started its operations in September 2004. It runs from Kindergarten through class 12.

"Through the use of IBM technology, we plan to make a model school that will be imitated by the public sector in the future," said Dr. Ali Dashtai from Smart School. "We will use IBM technology to set a real education model, and improve educational methods applied."