UAE Launch Arab World’s Largest e-Learning Platform

Sheikh Mohammed has launched Madrasa, the largest e-learning platform in the Arab world, in a bid to ensure that Arab students around the globe can access science and math subjects for free.

According to the Khaleej Times, the Mohammed Bin Rashid eLearning Project offers 5,000 free videos in subjects such as, biology, math, chemistry, physics and general science, to young students from kindergarten up to grade 12.

There is also an enticing competition on the platform, offered by Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI), in which children have the opportunity to answer one question each day, for 1,000 days, and are then entered into a daily raffle where the winner will receive $1,000.

The competition, which will give away $1million worth of prizes to the winners in total, requires students to register on the website, read the daily question, then watch the related video and answer the question.

The launch, which took place in Dubai on Tuesday 16th October, is the result of last year’s Translation Challenge which called for academics, researchers and professionals in the Arab world to design and produce the thousands of videos, and to translate the 11 million words into Arabic.

Over 52,000 applications were received from volunteers wishing to work on the project over the last year including teachers, university students, government employees, graphic designers, and so on. It has been a task which has necessitated collaboration with many sectors, institutions and individuals across the Arab world.

More than 300 volunteers were selected from the applications based upon their ability to translate, clarity of voice for voiceovers or other talents.

Sheikh Mohammed, addressing the assembled delegates, students, and volunteers at the launch said, “I said last year that 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.”

The purpose of the e-learning platform is to bridge the knowledge gap in the Arab world in the fields of math and science, as it has been shown that educational development in these two areas are pivotal in boosting a civilisation’s progress

The platform can be accessed via computers or mobile devices by downloading the App.

MBRGI project manager, Sara Al Nuaimi, said the platform will tackle the lack of Arabic educational material available to students. She added that while “Students and teachers across the Arab World often found educational content in English, among other languages. The best way to motivate children to learn difficult subjects like science and math is through engaging audio-visual content that will simplify their educational process.”

It is planned that the platform will be regularly updated throughout the year, with future expansion set to include courses on the Arabic language, computer science, programming, space science, Artificial Intelligence, and engineering.

The platform is set to play an influential role in future generations of Arab thinkers, scientists, researchers and mathematicians, which should help shape a brighter future for the UAE, and the Arab world at large.