In the context of the Saudi Arabia Vision 2030, aiming to bootstrap the digital transformation for K-12 education, the Saudi Ministry of Education launched the Future Gate in 2017. Future Gate is a country-wide, large-scale initiative to implement a set of EdTech infrastructure and services for more than 25 thousand schools, 6 million students and 500 thousand teachers in Saudi Arabia. The initiative, planned to be completed in 2021, is implemented by the Tatweer Educational Technologies Company (TETCO - www.tetco.sa), the leading EdTech . Signs of the ongoing digital transformation in the Saudi school community are already visible and promising, while at the same time a number of challenges already surface, posing threats, but also opportunities for learning and deeper understanding of how EdTech can empower all stakeholders towards the goal of Quality Education for All.

Being part of the Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 development oriented strategies that leverage the power of ICTs as an enabler of the digital transformation to enable new types of innovation and creativity in all domains critical for the Kingdom’s economy and society overall, the Future Gate’s insights and outcomes can also serve as a case study for countries that are planning to develop similar initiatives, as well as an evidence of the anticipated value that can be achieved and sustained for K-12 education by a carefully planned and executed use of EdTech, with a focus on the identified demand for digital literacy and the 21st century skills.

https://fg.moe.gov.sa

• Saudi Arabia

• Youth
• All members of the K-12 community, including students (pupils) and their parents, teachers, school leaders, supervisors, and policy makers

As a nation-wide initiative for K-12 Education, the Future Gate strategy and implementation approaches can be replicated to States that are considering the use of ICT and EdTech as an enabler of the digital transformation to enable new types of innovation and creativity, with a focus on the identified demand for digital literacy and the 21st century skills.

The investment plan along with a thorough calculation of the anticipated returns, demonstrates that the initiative will break even in 3 years with a cumulative 100% turnover by 2025. Direct savings alone are expected to reach from $65 to $150 per student per year, from costs related to printing of textbooks, transportation, etc. The overall benefits are much higher and more significant when taking into consideration the anticipated gains from the shared value for the industry and the value for the community. The industry will have a plethora of opportunities to benefit from its direct involvement in the emerging EdTech market, as well as from the outcomes of the improved educational system, with a valuable talent pool equipped with the digital competencies and the 21st century skills, resulting in increased job opportunities and productivity across all sectors. At the same time, the new generation of digital literate citizens is expected to create a ripple effect that will have a positive impact in the Saudi society as a whole, with the long term socio-economic returns amounting to almost 3x times the investment in monetary terms.

The project will ensure the quality of education and promotion of lifelong learning opportunities