Hamdan Bin Mohammed e-University (HBMeU), a leading education institution in the UAE, has finalized a new strategic plan with the presidents of international universities to expand its open, distance education initiatives worldwide.

The members of the International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE) have completed drafting the new strategic plan (2013-2016) following several in-depth deliberations and focus group discussions during the recently concluded ICDE conference in Dubai.

While drafting the plan, the members took into account the key points made by Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, during his speech at the event, remarked Dr Mansoor Al Awar, the chancellor of HBMeU.

Organized under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and President of HBMeU, ICDE SCOP 2012 witnessed the largest gathering of ICDE members, particularly presidents of open and distance learning universities from around the world, in addition to regional and international ministers, to discuss various challenges and barriers associated with the implementation of ODE in the Arab region and around the world.

The ICDE members, he said, have identified five strategic objectives in line with its vision to become the global membership organization for enhancing the quality of open and distance education.

The members also agreed to jointly promote greater educational opportunity for all through increased acceptance of a wider range of learning modes; adoption of best practices and the highest standards of educational provision; development and use of new methodologies; provision of opportunities for professional interaction; encouragement and support for networks at the national, regional, global levels and linguistic groups; and promotion of intercultural cooperation and understanding, he added.

Dr Al Awar said the high-level discussions held at the meeting helped  ICDE members generate new ideas and strategies to address various challenges associated with the implementation of ODE.

Prof Tian Belawati, the president of ICDE and rector of the Indonesian Open University, said: “ICDE SCOP remains a very important networking platform that gathers prominent personalities from leading universities and academic institutions around the world to discuss many important issues and concerns significant to open and distance learning."

A new global campaign to further promote e-learning, which will start in Dubai, was also launched during the conference by Prof. Tian Belawati.

A number of strategic agreements were also signed during the conference, including a MoU between HBMeU and Beirut Arab University to work together on various initiatives related to e-learning such as research, publications, scientific conferences, seminars and events.-TradeArabia News Service