Ministry of Education staff enhance IT skills with Microsoft education courses

Ministry staff from Abu Dhabi and Dubai were presented with certificates by Dr. Shaikha Al-Shamsi Assistant Undersecretary for Curricula and Amna Al-Nakhi Academic Programs & Community Affairs Manager for Microsoft South Gulf to acknowledge their achievement at a ceremony last week.

The ministry staff were offered several different training courses appropriate to their working roles, and between them completed a total of 731 courses.

The training, which was carried out by Microsoft Learning Solutions Partner Compubase, covered the fundamentals of computing and key Microsoft applications including, Windows, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Internet Explorer and Outlook, and their usage in the workplace. The training sessions, which took place from the end of April until mid-July, were conducted at Compubase's Abu Dhabi office and at a dedicated training center that was set up by Compubase at the Ministry of Education's Dubai premises.

"Microsoft is very pleased to have been able to offer this training for the Ministry of Education in association with Compubase. By providing the Ministry's staff with training in important IT skills, we give them an understanding of technology, so that they can work better and be more prepared as the UAE enhances and increases the use of technology to educate our next generation of students," said Abdullatif Al Mulla, General Manager, Microsoft South Gulf.

The training program was carried out as part of the Microsoft Partners in Learning program, ahead of training for teachers in the UAE, which will begin in September. The Partners in Learning initiative was launched in the UAE in October 2004, with the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Education and Microsoft. This global initiative provides a significant investment of software and cash grants over the next five years to deliver ICT skills training and technical support to the IT environment at school level.

Partners in Learning also includes significantly lower prices for Microsoft's core educational desktop software for students and teachers. Partners in Learning is implemented in conjunction with government agencies, local businesses and non-government organizations in each country, as appropriate, to ensure that the program meets the needs of local communities.

"Microsoft is proud to have been able to bring this opportunity to the staff of the Ministry of Education. We are committed to enabling teachers and students to achieve their fullest potential by providing for comprehensive IT skills development and education, and it makes sense to extend this commitment to those who work with UAE educators at the Ministry. We look forward to enhancing our relationship through the ongoing Partners in Learning initiative," Al Nakhi added.