ministry of education receives school technology innovation center from microsoft
As part of the ongoing efforts to enhance public-private partnerships and in line with the vision of the Jordan Education Initiative
The Ministry of Education received the School Technology Innovation Center (STIC) from Microsoft today at a press conference attended by Minister of Education Dr. Tayseer Al Naimi, U.S Secretary of Commerce Mr. Carlos Gutierrez, Minister of Information & Communications Technology Eng. Basem Rousan and Mr. Zeid Shubailat, Country Manager of Microsoft Jordan. The center, fully equipped and prepared by Microsoft, was handed over to the Ministry of Education once Microsoft had ensured the center’s sustainability, and the readiness of the Ministry’s team to run and manage the center after having completed training from Microsoft.
The School Technology Innovation Center was established in 2005 as an initiative by Microsoft, representing a long-term partnership between Microsoft, Hewlett Packard, Cisco, Intel and the Jordanian Government, and is the first of its kind across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. STIC was built as a fully interactive demonstration facility that provides a technology hub for innovative practices and enables educators in the region to evaluate new technologies. Since 2006, the center has provided training to 1000 public and private sector teachers from across the Kingdom.
Microsoft has been responsible for managing the center since it was established. The Ministry of Education will now takeover this responsibility and is firmly committed to achieving the center’s objective of enhancing the educational sector through the implementation of IT. Microsoft will continue supporting the center and the Ministry by providing consultation services when needed.
Highlighting the invaluable impact of this initiative on the educational sector, Dr. Al Naimi said, “The solid partnership between the Jordanian Government, Microsoft and its partners, as well as the Jordan Education Initiative, aims at realizing the common goal we all share, which is to enhance education, improve on its methods and tools of delivery, as well as sharpen the skills of teachers in all specialties, especially in those where the use of IT in education and training are currently limited.”
He added, “This initiative is not only significant to the public private partnership but also represents a milestone in achieving educational reform and building a sustainable knowledge economy, which falls in line with the government’s vision for the educational sector.”
Mr. Shubailat said, “Microsoft strongly believes in the integration of IT in education, which stems from the fact that it is proven to positively impact individuals, societies and nations as a whole. Microsoft took the initiative to establish this first of its kind school technology center to go hand in hand with two important education projects - the Jordan Education Initiative (JEI) and the Partners in Learning (PiL) initiative.”
He added, “STIC seeks to achieve a number of goals including showcasing and testing new technologies, providing creative development frameworks for teachers, demonstrating learning techniques and curricula, sharing best practices in the effective use of ICT in education, and highlighting and developing partnerships between leading companies and the local government.”
Mr. Shubailat went on to say, “Microsoft selected Jordan as the first country to implement this initiative due to the fact that Jordan is actively and seriously working on developing its educational sector. Furthermore, the center was partly inspired by, and fully supports, Jordan’s ambitious e-learning project-- the Jordan Education Initiative. The center’s tremendous success has led Microsoft to establish similar centers in North Ireland, Czech Republic, South Africa and Belgium.”
STIC’s services are available to all schools and teachers across the Kingdom.
