Saudi virtual nursery a sign of the future
Saudi Arabia launched a virtual nursery to ensure all children have access to education during critical development years.
The Saudi Ministry of Education initiative allows children between 3 and 6 who are otherwise unable to attend physical nurseries, to take part in activities and watch educational videos on their smartphones.
The virtual nursery was revealed at Gess Dubai, an education show in Dubai.
Saudi Minister of Education Dr Hamad Al Sheikh said the virtual nursery was a sign of what was to come.
Virtual nurseries could be the answer to educating more children who are unable to attend preschool.
An online nursery, where children can learn by taking part in activities and watching videos on smartphones, has already been launched in Saudi Arabia.
An education forum in Dubai heard on Tuesday how the virtual nursery ensured children who were unable to attend kindergarten classes did not miss out on development opportunities at a critical age.
Children between 3 and 6 can log on to their nurseries on mobile phones and follow Islamic studies, play games, read stories and submit projects.
Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Education Dr Hamad Al Sheikh said the government-run virtual nursery was a sign of what was to come.
“This is a step that paves the way to launching a virtual school for all levels of education in the near future,” he said. “Everyone is working towards technology and very soon reality as we know it will change.
“This requires us to work in a different way from the past and pushes us to understand the challenges that will control the jobs of the future.”
This month, Khalfan Belhoul, chief executive of Dubai Future Foundation, told The National that advances in technology would mean pupils could take lessons at any time and place.
She said pupils would be able to pick their lessons to suit their schedules.
It was a sentiment echoed by Hussain Al Hammadi, the UAE Minister of Education, who on Tuesday said the government was planning to integrate more technology into the curriculum.
“Curriculums, projects and research will be enhanced with the use of smart systems,” Mr Al Hammadi said at Gess Dubai, an annual education show.
“The UAE is planning to almost double its investments in kindergarten enrolments as the initial phase of life plays a crucial role in shaping the personalities of the pupils, and their future.”
The ministry also plans to increase the number of internationally accredited academic programmes.
Samar Al Sayegh, early childhood programme manager at the Tatweer Company for Educational Services, which creates content for the virtual nurseries in Saudi Arabia, said the initiative brought education to children in remote areas or who suffered from health issues and could not attend.
Through the virtual nursery, which is open to Saudi citizens and residents, children can access age-appropriate educational content similar to that provided at schools.
“The children do not get direct support from teachers but can upload projects and
Children can log on to their nurseries on mobile phones and follow Islamic studies, play games or read stories
work on the platform, which is assessed by a teacher,” Ms Al Sayegh said.
“Even children enrolled at a school can access this application as a support. We know this is a critical age group and we have to ensure what we provide is appropriate.”
As children cannot be exposed to smartphones for long periods of time, the application automatically shuts the child out after they have used it for an hour.
Dr Rabaa Al Sumaiti, Assistant Undersecretary for the performance improvement sector at the UAE Ministry of Education, said virtual lessons were available to pupils under certain circumstances: “Last year, a pupil was not in the country for medical reasons but went through school, attended the programme virtually and received his certificate.”