As Telecommunications/ICTs and broadband become more accessible and available throughout the Arab region, it starts to infiltrate all sectors of society. This is quite evident in the educational sector as various initiatives on educational reform throughout the region have been launched in the past recent years with a focus on integrating ICTs in the educational system. New educational mediums such as mobile education or Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have been the main focus of such initiatives. To an extent that it exemplifies the conviction that there is a direct correlation between ICT and education as ICTs have multiplier effects on all aspects of the education system. With that in mind, the member states participating in the WTDC 14 adopted the fourth Arab Regional Initiative to be on Smart Learning. The following are the objective and expected results to be achieved in the period 2015-2018 as set by WTDC:
Objective: To bring about a shift from traditional methods of teaching in schools and universities,using books and paper‐based sources, to smart learning with the use of tablet computers, the latest software and modern telecommunication/ICT techniques to provide access to a range of academic information, resources and subject matters.
Expected results
Assistance to the countries in the following:
- Eradication of digital illiteracy in the Arab region
- Finding smart and low‐cost computing devices, either with the support of Arab governments or by concluding agreements with manufacturers to provide such devices
- Development of Arab educational e‐content for schools and universities in the Arab region.
