Microsoft, Kuwait Ministry of Education collaborate on teacher training and educator recognition initiatives

• Training sessions held for 200 educators to successfully integrate technology with teaching and learning

• MOE and Microsoft celebrate 19 Microsoft Innovative Educator experts from Kuwait

• “We are proud of our longstanding partnership with the Ministry of Education, as we stand forth with trainings and initiatives to support them in their efforts to empower teachers and impact learning environments” said General Manager, Microsoft Kuwait

29 April 2018; Kuwait City, KUWAIT– As part of its ongoing commitment to students and teachers, Microsoft today collaborated with Kuwait’s Ministry of Education and hosted an edtech training event, to highlight the positive influence of technology in the classroom, and transform teaching and learning in today’s digital era.

The training, held on 11^th April at the Fatima Al-Sarawi School, hosted sessions in both English and Arabic for over 200 teachers who gained a hand-on experience on applications such as Office 365, OneDrive, Sway, OneNote, Microsoft Teams and windows 10 fall creators updates from Mixed reality values and visual Learning through the 3D paint. The participants learned how Microsoft Office and its suite of applications enable educators to transform their teaching methods by creating collaborative and interactive lessons, capturing ideas, as well as sharing videos and course materials.

“The New Kuwait Plan as part of the country’s vision, strives to reform the education system to better prepare youth in order to become competitive and productive members of the workforce.” Said Dr Haitham Al-Athari, Undersecretary, Ministry of Education, Kuwait. “This is only possible by empowering our teachers and educators with the right technology and tools – to be able to revolutionize the way students learn today. Our collaboration with Microsoft speaks to this effort, as we move forward into the future and pave the way for more student centric approaches.”

“The Kuwait Vision 2035, places a strong emphasis on education as a catalyst to economic diversification, sustainable growth and social progress – and technology is at the core of this,” said Charles Nahas, General Manager, Microsoft Kuwait. “We are proud of our longstanding partnership with the Ministry of Education, as we stand forth with trainings and initiatives to support them in their efforts to empower teachers, and impact learning environments to enhance student achievement – through the power of new-age technology.”

During the event, officials from Microsoft and the MOE also recognised 15 teachers from the country who have become Microsoft Innovative Educator Experts (MIEE). The Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) Expert program is an exclusive program created to recognize global educator visionaries who are using technology to pave the way for their peers in the effective use of technology for better learning and student outcomes. These MIEEs will now work closely with Microsoft to lead innovation in education, advocate and share best practices with peers and policymakers, provide insights for Microsoft, and become thought leaders in the edtech space.

In addition to knowledge sharing and enhancing classroom teaching methods, the MIEEs also gain the opportunity to attend Microsoft’s Educator Exchange (E2) conference, an annual event that celebrates the great efforts of teachers from around the world and re-energize them with new innovations and technologies to achieve more.

This year’s E2 conference took place from March 13^th – 15^th 2018 in Singapore and hosted over 300 Microsoft Innovative Educator Experts who earned their place through local competitions over the past year and 74 System Leaders, all up representing 91 countries. This year’s selection competition was all about impact and each MIEE was asked to create a 3 minutes video that tells a full story explaining how they are making a difference to transform teaching and learning strategies in the classroom. Mervat Tahoun, an educator from the Ministry of Education, Kuwait was one of the winners from the competition who gained the opportunity to attend this year’s E2. In her video, Mervat stood out from her contenders by demonstrating her efforts as an MIEE through success stories, and the positive impact that she has been able to drive in order to make a difference in her community.

At E2, Mervat joined other educators to participate in an incredible few days of keynotes, breakouts, certifications, professional development, challenges, and hands on activities. “It was an honour to attend the E2 Conference to celebrate and share knowledge with educators from across the world. The event is a great platform for the MIEE Community to share their experience and transform learning in and outside the classrooms, preparing our today’s students for tomorrow’s jobs.” She said.

Educators interested in joining the MIE expert program can self-enrol by first creating an account on the Microsoft Educator Community portal, earn 1000 points and then fill out the nomination form for MIE Expert here : https://microsoftedu.eventcore.com/

Microsoft believes technology can be used as a tool to empower teachers and enable students to create the world of tomorrow by developing collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking skills. All of which are vital to inspire a love of learning and achieve future success. To learn more about Microsoft’s efforts in education, visit here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/education