Sesame Workshop, a non-profit organization behind Sesame Street — the long running television series known for its educational content for children — and the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States (ABEGS) renewed their partnership to work on the Arabic version of the series “Iftah Ya Simsim.” The agreement came in line with the desire to bring back the popular children’s television series to the GCC.

Iftah Ya Simsim, which is produced by Bidaya Media and targets children from 4-6 years old, is currently being produced and is expected to debut across the region in early 2015. The Arabic version of the educational and entertainment television series Sesame Street was reintroduced to the Gulf region in 2011 after a 20-year hiatus.

Ali Al-Karni, director general of ABEGS and member of the Bidaya Education Advisory Committee, said renewing the partnership with Sesame Workshop is a testament to international cooperation on best practices in educational media.

“As with the original Iftah Ya Simsim series, the educational framework guides the creative work that Sesame Workshop and the Bidaya team are currently developing. ABEGS will continue to support the initiative and promote the integration of the series in various learning environments,” said Al-Karni.

Bidaya Education Advisory Committee is composed of 12 specialists from the Gulf with backgrounds in education, media, language and cultural studies.

H. Melvin Ming, president and CEO of Sesame Workshop, said that working closely with the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States enables the group to produce content on a variety of platforms with the goal of achieving measurable educational gains for children in early school years.

“The new Iftah Ya Simsim series is a great complement to our continuing efforts to reach more children with engaging lessons that will help them grow smarter, stronger and kinder,” he said.

Sesame Workshop aims to use the educational power of media to help children everywhere reach their highest potential. The organization’s programs are tailored to the needs of specific regions and focus on topics that help young children and families develop critical skills for lifelong learning.

Cairo Arafat, Bidaya’s managing director, sad that it took four years and the passion and commitment of dozens of individuals across international boundaries to bring Iftah Ya Simsim to this stage.

“We have a great opportunity to establish a truly Arabic educational platform for the 21st century child,” he underlined.

Bidaya Media is working to expand the network of regional partners with an interest in educational media. Joint Program Production Institution (JPPI), Sesame Workshop’s production partner, has joined the coalition and will provide both production and distribution support to ensure the content Iftah Ya Simsim reaches the widest audience.