UAE, Code.org sign deal to boost computer science education

The UAE’s Ministry of Education and non-profit platform Code.org have signed a memorandum of understanding to boost computer science education throughout the country, the Emirates News Agency reported on Tuesday.

The collaboration will concentrate on raising awareness of the importance of computer science, disseminating relevant resources and curriculum in Arabic, training teachers, and scheduling time for the subject during and after school hours.

Dr. Mohammed Ebrahim Almualla, the ministry’s under-secretary for academic affairs, and Code.org chief executive officer, Hadi Partovi, inked the MoU during the World Government Summit 2023 in Dubai.

Emirati Minister of Education Ahmad Belhoul Al-Falasi said that eliminating digital illiteracy and expanding computer science education to all UAE citizens was a top priority for the ministry.

He added that the ministry’s goal was to incorporate computer science into all educational stages, beginning with kindergarten, to improve students’ computational thinking skills.

He said: “The Ministry of Education works in line with the leadership’s directives to build the future education system in the country.

“As such, we work with our partners from government, private, and non-profits to improve various aspects of the education system, including the dissemination of computer science education and the integration of artificial intelligence within the education system.

“We are certain that this strategic cooperation with Code.org will help in serving these goals and aspirations,” Al-Falasi added.

Partovi said: We look forward to partnering with the UAE’s Ministry of Education to ensure all students in the country learn how to create technology and not just use it.”

During the summit, the ministry also announced that the UAE was one of the first countries to begin integrating AI tools across its education system by adopting generative pre-trained transformer-powered AI tutors, in partnership with Microsoft OpenAI.