UAE Ministry of Education Signs MOU with Samsung for Special Needs Children

His Excellency Humaid Mohammad Al Qatami, Minister of Education,
UAE and Mr. Young Soo Kim, President of Samsung Gulf Electronics

The UAE Ministry of Education has signed a flagship Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Samsung Gulf Electronics in order to expand its CSR program, enhancing the education of special needs children across the UAE through the use of technology. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed by His Excellency Humaid Mohammad Al Qatami, Minister of Education, UAE and Mr. Young Soo Kim, President of Samsung Gulf Electronics at the Gulf Education Supplies and Solutions (GESS) Exhibition, held at Dubai World Trade Centre.

Samsung Gulf Electronics, a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, originally launched the ‘Samsung Hope for Children’ Program in partnership with Al Noor Training Center for Children with Special Needs in 2012 with the aim of making a difference to special needs students in the UAE. This MOU with the Ministry of Education will extend Samsung’s CSR program to help all special needs schools in the UAE, implementing an immediate plan to develop the education programs and make learning a more engaging and interactive experience.

By building a new partnership with Samsung Gulf Electronics, the Ministry of Education is creating new possibilities for children with special needs in the UAE by providing them with technologies and knowledge means that will enhance and develop the way they learn. With the objective of supporting smart schools development in the UAE, Samsung Hope for Children and the Ministry of Education will launch the first phase of the project immediately supplying GALAXY Note 10.1 devices and ATIV Smart PCs for special needs students in Grades 1-3 and teachers in public schools across the country. Teachers will be required to use the devices as part of their curriculum, sharing curriculum content and increasing interactivity in the classroom. In the second phase of the project, Samsung will work closely with the Ministry of Education to develop bespoke digital content that will incorporate the use of the devices within the schools’ education curriculum, encouraging the students to utilize the technology to enhance their learning experiences.

His Excellency Humaid Mohammad Al Qatami, Minister of Education, UAE said: "Education is one of the core pillars for the future development of the UAE as we move toward our 2021 vision of having a first-class education system. The Ministry of Education understands that by implementing technology solutions into schools, it is helping to create a collaborative environment that improves children’s learning experience. Ministry of Education highly appreciates Samsung and is keen to make a strong and close working relation with Samsung, which is one of the top technology leaders worldwide."

His Excellency Humaid Mohammad Al Qatami added: "The Ministry of Education strives hard to keep up with the world’s digital changes with the aim of making the UAE globally competitive. The Ministry of Education understands that UAE achievements, progresses and developments accomplished at all levels represent a spectrum of challenges which require adopting untraditional and unconventional development techniques. This is reflected in the Ministry of Education’s policy in education processes and through the services it provides to its partners. The Ministry of Education has achieved a remarkable progress toward modernizing the schooling infrastructure including; learning, service facilities, curriculums, evaluations and exams, enrolments and admissions’ techniques. All of which are based on the latest sophisticated world technologies, communications, equipment and digital tools and means."

"We are honored to have been chosen to work with the UAE Ministry of Education on this meaningful project, which gives Samsung the opportunity to play an active role in the education development of children with special needs across the country," Said Mr. Young Soo Kim, President, Samsung Gulf Electronics. "We are strong advocates of supporting technology based learning and believe it is important to give back and contribute to the communities in which we operate. This important partnership achieves both these goals as we offer our technologies to drive the growth of future generations while affirming our commitment towards the development of education and the special needs community in the UAE," Mr. Kim added.

Samsung strives hard to use its technologies to drive the development and advancement of future generations, and hopes to create new opportunities for children across the globe. It was in this spirit that the CSR program, "Samsung Hope for Children," was developed so that it could make a commitment to improve children’s education. To date, Samsung has equipped more than 10 million pupils worldwide with its technology and has worked on education projects with governments around the world. Samsung Hope for Children currently runs programs in more than 40 countries and plans to expand to 55 countries by 2014.