(MENAFN- Mid-East Info) Announcement made during the College's participation at GITEX Global 2025

Abu Dhabi, October, 2025 – On the sidelines of its participation in GITEX Global 2025 as part of the Abu Dhabi Government Pavilion, the Emirates College for Advanced Education (ECAE) has announced the launch of its Horizons program, developed to empower educators and teachers at the Ministry of Education with artificial intelligence (AI) technology, enabling its effective, ethical, and sustainable integration into the educational environment. This initiative aligns with the UAE's strategic vision for shaping the future of education and building an advanced learning environment.

The program focuses on enhancing seven critical areas of artificial intelligence integrated into the Ministry of Education's curricula: foundational concepts, data and algorithms, software applications, ethical awareness, real-world use cases, innovation and project design, as well as policy and community engagement. In its first phase, the program aims to train 5,000 teachers across the country.

This initiative follows the TALIS 2024 report, a comprehensive global survey by the OECD on teachers' working conditions and learning environments. The report highlights that 75% of teachers in the UAE actively use artificial intelligence in their work – significantly higher than the global average – demonstrating the UAE's leadership in educational innovation and AI integration.

It is the first program of its kind in the country, drawing on the most up-to-date national and international frameworks, and was developed by a team of academics and education experts at the college based on the National Educators' Competency Framework (NECF) and UNESCO's Artificial Intelligence Competency Framework for Teachers. The training program aims to equip educators with skills to use AI tools effectively in creating diverse and inclusive educational experiences that match students' developmental stages, enhance classroom engagement, and improve assessment practices through AI-powered feedback while upholding fairness, inclusivity, and ethical integrity in evaluation.

His Excellency Sulaiman Al Kaabi, Executive Director of the Student Wellbeing Sector at the Ministry of Education, said:“The Horizons program is a key part of our strategic efforts to enhance the competence of teachers and educators across the country in the fundamentals, concepts, uses, and principles of artificial intelligence. This initiative contributes to building integrated educational communities that align with the nation's ambitions for digital leadership. It also strengthens public confidence in teaching and adopting AI within the education sector, paving the way for a more flexible, innovative, comprehensive, and sustainable educational system. Ultimately, this supports the knowledge economy and helps achieve our national goals.”

He pointed out that, the Ministry of Education is committed to offering high-quality programs in collaboration with its partners to enhance teachers' skills and capabilities.“This includes helping educators develop sustainable strategic visions and innovative educational plans that support students and meet their diverse needs. At the same time, the Ministry is introducing artificial intelligence as a core curriculum in the country's public school system,” he added.

Dr. May Laith Al Taee, Vice Chancellor of the Emirates College for Advanced Education, said:“The Horizons program represents an important step in empowering educators to harness the potential of artificial intelligence in their teaching practices in a way that enhances the quality of education. At the same time, it reinforces Emirati values of conscious and ethical engagement with technology and strengthens the UAE's global leadership in adopting AI in education, as reflected in the TALIS 2024 report, which shows 75% of teachers in the UAE embrace artificial intelligence, confirming our strategic role in educational innovation. Beyond that, the mission of our college is to cultivate a new generation of educators equipped to translate the vision of our leadership into innovative strategies and cutting-edge learning experiences aligned with the UAE's national priorities.”

She noted that the program strengthens efforts to nurture collaborative school cultures that support AI integration, establish locally grounded strategic visions informed by educational insight, and adapt to the evolving requirements of AI-based education. It also contributes to the creation of ethical school policies that reflect the UAE's values, ensure responsible AI use, enhance public trust in educational AI applications, and encourage sustainable innovation supported by data and technology.

The Horizons program consists of five training workshops, each lasting four hours, for a total of 20 hours. Key components include developing school cultures that support AI, designing inclusive and adaptive learning environments, integrating constructive assessment practices powered by AI feedback mechanisms, establishing transparent and fair ethical school policies, planning for sustainable institutional innovation, and creating school networks for collaborative learning and development.

Its methodology combines practical workshops using AI applications, short video resources, interactive online activities, group exercises that promote collaborative learning and AI ethics, mini-assessments, and feedback sessions aimed at improving participants' application of AI in teaching. Supporting resources for the program include the Holt & Harris Pedagogical Model for AI in Learning and the IBM AI Curriculum Framework. The training also incorporates ECAE's core educational themes, which include Emirati Values and Culture in a Changing World, Inclusion in Education, Sustainable Development, and Artificial Intelligence in Education.

This initiative underscores ECAE's commitment to supporting national efforts to prepare the school system for the future of AI, reinforcing the UAE's leadership role in utilizing advanced technologies to serve education and sustainable development.

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