GCC investments in digital education programs rising

Digital education programs being introduced to schools in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE will have a positive long-term effect on students, says the regional president of Pearson, the world’s leading education company.
GCC governments’ expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP has risen dramatically over the past decade.
This year, the Saudi Arabia government is expected to commit a record $ 54 billion to education, which makes it one of the top ranking countries in the world in terms of education spending.
Christine Ozden, regional president of Pearson, says that e-Learning technologies, such as virtual learning environments (VLEs) or Learning Platforms, as they are also known, are transforming teaching and learning experiences in the Gulf, and bringing real and lasting benefits to those that use them.
She says: “With over 160 million logins each year, the Pearson VLE, Fronter is completely revolutionizing the way people teach and learn, across the globe. Just like a regular school building, Fronter is an arena for learning, teaching and interacting with peers and colleagues, but it can also be used to make organizing, sharing and documenting as easy as possible. It is so popular because it helps teachers become the best that they can be. Fronter’s regular webinars, training courses and on-hand support keep educators up-to-date with the very latest in teaching tools and learning resources, helping them to meet and exceed world class teaching standards.”
To understand the full breadth of what a Virtual Learning Environment can do to improve student outcomes, Pearson is hosting a regional event for the education community that will showcase the power of Fronter, and what it can bring to an institution.
The Dubai Fronter Day will feature demonstrations for educators and school administrators so that they can utilize the full capability of the VLE to exceed their educational goals.
Regional schools that are already employing the technology will also present their own Fronter experiences with the aim of inspiring other school communities to harness the technology to achieve similar results.
The Fronter Day is taking place in Dubai on May 22.