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Discovery Education leads innovation in Egypt’s Education system

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Discovery Education and the Presidential Specialized Council for Education and Scientific Research announce new initiatives to support President el-Sisi build a community that learns, thinks, and innovates using STEM concepts and digital content.

September 24th, Cairo – Discovery Education, the leading provider of digital content and professional development for teachers and students, and the Egyptian Knowledge Bank (EKB) today launched a number of initiatives that will provide dynamic Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM) content to 23 million teachers and students in Egypt, under the directive of the Presidential Specialized Council for Education and Scientific Research, a direct initiative of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Held at The Ministry of Higher Education in Cairo, the launch event was inaugurated by Minister of Higher Education, H.E. Ashraf El-Sheehy, Representative of Minister of Education, Ms. Gihan Kamal, Secretary-General of the Presidential Specialized Councils in Egypt, Dr. Tarek Shawki, President of the American University Mr. Francis J. Riccardione and the President of Discovery Education International, Ms. Kelli Campbell.

H.E. Dr Ashraf El Shihi said he is proud of this bold and leading step in the field of learning which began with the launch of EKB in January 2016. “This is a critical step towards building a society that learns, thinks and innovates. This is the vision of President EL Sisi, which has made of EKB a successful, and leading project towards education reform.”

He stressed on the Ministry’s focus on raising capabilities and enhancing the quality of the education system, through benefitting from the content available on the EKB’s platform, and to maximize the return on investment in the new Library of Digital Learning Objects launched by Discovery Education today. “This could be a good start to reform basic education and of course can inspire similar work in higher education to empower our graduates in the future to compete more for highly skilled jobs and contribute more in the future of Egypt.”

Dr. Tarek Shawki praised the government’s ongoing collaboration with Discovery Education. “Egypt’s education will only thrive with successful partnerships with global leaders like Discovery Education to transform the Egyptian educational community into one that learns, thinks and innovates with diversified knowledge. This is a national initiative that will continue to foster values for the future economic and social growth and transformation of Egyptians.  Discovery Education is providing Egyptian teachers with the tools to create an engaging learning environment through STEM concepts and engaging digital content.”

Dr. Gehan Kamel, representative of the Ministry of Education, said that innovative students are a national treasure of critical importance that needs to be nurtured. Developing a generation of innovators requires great efforts from the various education  and scientific research institutions, and more importantly huge focus needs to be put on the primary player in the education process and that is the educator. This is where the initiative from the Presidential Council in partnership with the Ministry of Education plays a key role, to have real impact on the teachers’ development and performance. There are thousands of teaches who will become ambassadors of change in Egyptian schools through this program.

Ms. Kelli Campbell added “We are honoured to be part of this very important and transformational journey.  We are committed to education in Egypt and are inspired by how much the Egyptian teaching community has engaged in the process and with the products so far.  We feel fortunate to be working with such visionary partners involved in the EKB initiative.”

STEM Professional Development

Discovery Education, in partnership with the Presidential Specialized Council for Education and Scientific Research, announced the launch of their Professional Development programme which commences today.  Dedicated to building a sustained STEM environment in and outside the classroom, Egyptian educators will participate in Discovery Education’s STEM Foundation professional development programme. This two-year professional learning model develops and nurtures teachers and principals as they build a STEM culture using a multi-dimensional solution focused on STEM teaching and learning.

Discovery will work with hundreds of educators as a pathway to start this learning journey with the goal of having these educators share their knowledge with educators across the country.   Susanne H. Thompson, Vice President of Professional Development for Discovery Education, noted she “is incredibly pleased and honoured to work with a team of local teachers who are already becoming experts in the STEM professional development programme and will spread their knowledge as they train and mentor other teachers and principals all throughout Egypt.”  At the end of their two-year journey, STEM teachers will graduate with accreditation as “STEM Now Innovators”.

EKB WebEdTV

Discovery Education also announced that the EKB WebEdTV will launch tomorrow, Sunday 25th September.  EKB WebEdTV is educational online TV at its very best.  Every school day during the instructional year, teachers and students are treated to thematically-focused programs, such as “Science Sunday” and “Maths Monday,” as well as other programmes including “World Topics,” “STEM Careers,” and “21st Century Skills”.  These programmes will be broadcasted online and give educators and students instant access to a collection of engaging short-form videos that together form three hour-long block of premiere programming targeted at each grade range.  The programming will revolutionize learning with exclusive content to drive STEM teaching and learning. Using a compilation of the most engaging and informative programs from Discovery Education’s world-class collection, and carefully curated to align with curriculum topics, it is customized to highlight programs of the day to inspire curiosity amongst viewers. WebEdTV is available online and on mobile devices for all educators and students in Egypt.

Library of Digital Learning Objects

Discovery Education, in partnership with EKB and the Global Alliance Partnership also announced the upcoming launch of the Library of Digital Learning Objects (DLO).

Ms. Robin Headlee, Vice President of Discovery Education International, elaborated stating “The Library of Digital Learning Objects is a new and exciting initiative to provide teachers and students with digital resources aligned directly to the lessons being taught in the classroom.  These vetted and approved resources include engaging videos, images, text, audio recordings and interactive simulations.

The pilot for Science Preparatory Grade 1 and Maths Secondary Grade 1 launched today and is temporarily hosted on Discovery Education’s portal before being transitioned to the EKB portal in time for the full launch in January 2017.  This innovative initiative will be launched for the second term of the school year across all grades in Maths and Science.

The Library of Digital Learning Objects is brought to you by the EKB and the Global Alliance Partnership – Discovery Education, Encyclopedia Britannica, and Wolfram.  The Global Alliance Partnership is dedicated to providing teachers, parents, and students with world-renowned educational resources to transform teaching and learning.

 

About Egyptian Knowledge Bank (EKB)

The Egyptian Knowledge Bank [EKB] was launched in January 2016. It is regarded as the biggest digital library in the world, hosting content from prominent publishing houses from across the globe. The EKB offers Egyptians across all age groups huge and diversified sources for knowledge and culture free of charge.

 

About Discovery Education

Powered by the #1 non-fiction media company in the world, Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-based digital content for primary, preparatory and secondary learning, transforming teaching and learning with award-winning digital textbooks, multimedia content, professional development, and the largest professional learning community of its kind.  With a footprint in 53 countries, across all continents, Discovery Education’s mission is to transform teaching and learning through innovative partnerships with schools, administrations, government ministries and other like-minded organizations.  Discovery Education has proven experience working with partners at all levels across the education spectrum to create custom solutions that have markedly improved student achievement through engaging content, collaborative professional development, formative assessment and connection to a robust community of educational professionals.  Discovery Education currently serves over 50 million students and 4.5 million educators worldwide.

About Global Alliance Partnership

The Library of Digital Learning Objects is brought to you by the Egyptian Knowledge Bank (EKB) and the Global Alliance Partnership – Discovery Education, Encyclopaedia Britannica, and Wolfram.  The Global Alliance Partnership is dedicated to providing teachers, parents, and students with world-renowned educational resources to transform teaching and learning.

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