RIYADH, 25 November 2007 — Alfaisal International Academy here has signed a strategic alliance with GlobalVillage of Canada to train Saudi and non-Saudi teachers for handling English language and science courses in government and international schools as well as for private tutoring.

The new measure by the academy, a member of the Arabian Education and Training Group (AETG), comes on the backdrop of some major initiatives launched by the Kingdom that would see Alfaisal University up and running in Riyadh by next year and King Abdullah University for Science and Technology in 2009. The thrust of the educational reforms is also on bringing about a qualitative change in the teaching methods and paying greater attention to English language in the school curriculum.

Addressing a press conference, Ahmad Al-Taweel, managing director of AETG, said that through this strategic alliance with GlobalVillage the academy hopes to bring the benefits of IT into the classroom.

The academy has set up a 15,000-square-meter education-training center near the headquarters of the Disabled Children’s Association here at a cost of SR50 million. It is fully equipped with state-of-the-art facilities for the students.

“We already have an alliance with Microsoft and Cisco International Academy that has allowed us to leverage their strength in the curricular program that we offer,” he said. “Recently, we received a trophy from Riyadh Gov. Prince Salman on behalf of the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry.”

Al-Taweel said this was in recognition of the group’s commitment to its corporate social responsibility under which the group has spent SR6 million on setting up training programs for Saudi teachers. All its courses have been internationally recognized. He added that the academy was negotiating with the Ministry of Education and other organizations to sign them up for the training program.

Speaking on behalf of GlobalVillage, Paul Maher, principal and chief operations officer, said their course, which is fully recognized and approved by the University of Cambridge and Canada’s Academic Council, will introduce innovative teaching methods for their students.

“There will be an interactive discussion enabling our students to communicate with their counterparts in Canada,” he said. He added that it is in line with Cambridge University’s approved guidelines under which the teachers encourage students to rely on their own resources in preparing notes. It is a four-week course leading to the award of the Certificate in Teaching English Language to Adults or Diploma in Teaching English Language to Adults.

Paul said GlobalVillage currently has an enrollment of 1,500 students drawn from various countries around the world. All these courses are tailored to the needs of beginners for learning not only English but also science subjects in preparation for their higher studies at a later stage. Their approval by Cambridge University means that these courses are internationally recognized, he added.