Tablets are aiding students across all academic levels in the GCC, said a top official, citing a new study that found education sector accounts for over 10 per cent of all tablet shipments to the Middle East.

“The latest technology is being deployed across all industries in the region making it crucial that students are familiar with technology from an early age,” said Faisal Al Bannai, CEO of axiom.

“Furthermore, with the incorporation of tablets in classrooms, students can have instant access to the latest news, statistics, and information on virtually everything at their fingertips.”

A study by the International Data Corporation (IDC), in association with Intel, conducted earlier this year, indicated a rise in the demand for tablets for educational purposes across the Middle East.

The IDC study reported that all the institutions surveyed had the intention of increasing device utilization to 100 per cent within 12-24 months with most institutions having adapted a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) approach.

Other institutions provide devices that are pre-installed with relevant settings, apps and reading material in efforts to produce industry-ready graduates, in line with the regions vision of becoming an educational hub.  

The GCC has taken the lead in the region, with a number of technology-driven education initiatives, including the UAE’s Smart Learning Initiative, launched in 2012, that aims to provide tablets to students at all K-12 government schools by the year 2017.

In fulfilling the Qatar National Vision 2030, the Supreme Education Council’s e-Bag project in Qatar aims to provide tablets to every student and teacher in the country in the hope of producing more fun and rewarding learning experiences and reducing the weight of heavy school bags.

“Today’s students are increasingly integrating the use of technology in many aspects of life, including in social and entertainment contexts. They are familiar with numerous devices and are more engaged when using them, making it a natural transition to use in education,” Al Bannai said.

In addition to providing effective and efficient learning modules, the use of tablets in classrooms has also proven to help educators manage classrooms of varying cognitive levels more effectively. This is especially true for children with cognitive or behavioural challenges such as autism, dyslexia or vision impairment, with the availability of many apps accommodating specific special needs.

“The use of tablets in classrooms provides teachers with several methods of delivering information, including colourful imagery, video content, and bite-sized text, that will increase student engagement and retention levels,” Al Bannai said.

“One of the main concerns of educators in the Middle East is the misuse of the devices during school hours; however, this issue can be easily prevented by adjusting device settings in ways that best fit an institution’s objectives,” he added. – TradeArabia News Service