The British Egyptian Business Association (BEBA) has reviewed the future of digitisation in education on the second day of its first Virtual Education Week.
During the review, the association tackled different approaches to support the higher education system in Egypt, including the Future of Digitalisation in Education as a Step towards Achieving Vision 2030.
The successful webinar featured a number of experts and industry leaders, including: Dr Ashraf Abdelwahab, Digital Transformation Director, Public Sector at SAP Egypt; Ahmed Tolba, Professor of Computer Science Faculty of Computer and Information at Mansoura University; and Doaa Farag, Operations and Development Manager at Vodafone Egypt Foundation.
Tolba pointed out the advantages and disadvantages of online learning, based on his experience after implementing the e-learning approach in Mansoura University during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Among the disadvantages of the e-learning model is that it is prone to technical issues, due to poor infrastructure. It also requires more dedication from the students, as well as the instructors.
It is noteworthy to mention that, since 2003, Tolba has one of the pioneers in implementing the e-Learning model at Mansoura University. However, he believes that in order to properly implement this model in Egypt, students must first be prepared, and provide them with all of the resources to get the ultimate benefit from this new learning model.
“Of course, there are some challenges concerning the implementation of the e-learning model in Egypt such as the lack of physical interaction, the poor infrastructure and security systems, adapting to the changes caused by the pandemic, and the lack of appropriate assessment tools to measure the student’s progress,” said Abdelwahab.
He added that Egypt needs different and appropriate educational delivery models and systems, to deliver the ultimate e-learning experience.
For her part, Farag said, “We were moving towards online learning in Egypt even before the pandemic started.”
Since its inception in 2003, the Vodafone Egypt Foundation has focused on education to ensure providing access to high quality educational opportunities to all the social classes, especially for underprivileged students.
This was achieved by offering various projects to eradicate literacy, renovate schools and train teachers as well. The Taaleemy educational platform was launched, in collaboration with strong educational content providers, to target the whole educational ecosystem including students, parents, and teachers.
It aims to provide students with the optimum educational experience and ensure they have the required skills cope with the new digitised world.