Education trends in MENA: Q&A

ɫèAV Languages
Children running through a school hall smiling
Today we're discussing Education trends with Isil Berkan, the Marketing Director for the Middle East, Africa & Turkey:

Can you share how your school solutions are implementing AI and other technologies? Are schools interested in these solutions? Have any been implemented? Can you provide case studies from the MENA region?

We have several solutions that are technology influenced that have been deployed across the Middle East, in the UAE, KSA, Oman, Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar and Jordan.

  • MondlyWorks by ɫèAV - This immersive language learning app makes language learning engaging and accessible for schools and university learners through interactive lessons, games, and activities tailored to their age group. The app is an example of gamified learning to keep students motivated and interested while they acquire new language skills.
  • ɫèAV English Connect (PEC) - a game-changing digital teachers' hub revolutionizing English language teaching inside and outside the classroom. PEC is a fully interactive digital experience that provides highly effective online teaching and easy monitoring of progress and performance for students and teachers alike.
  • ɫèAV Test of English (PTE) - An internationally recognized computer-based English language proficiency test for study, work, or visas. The ɫèAV Test of English employs an AI-based scoring system, ensuring 100% impartiality so only the candidate's responses influence the scores. More than 3000 academic institutions, professional organizations and government bodies trust PTE to verify English skills in Canada, the UK, Australia, the USA, and New Zealand.

Expatriates make up more than 40% of the current Middle East population; hence studying abroad is relatively common in this part of the world. The UAE invests significant resources towards overseas education for its students, as evident from widely reported annual numbers of approximately 15,000 individuals studying abroad.

In KSA, the King Abdullah Scholarship Program (KASP), established by the Saudi Arabian government in 2005, is a pivotal component of the ambitious Saudi Vision 2030 initiative. This national vision seeks to transform Saudi Arabia into a diverse and knowledge-driven economy while fostering social and cultural transformation. By investing in the education of Saudi students across various fields and levels, KASP equips them with the necessary skills and expertise and cultivates a global perspective. As these scholars return home after their studies, they are poised to contribute significantly to the nation's economic diversification, technological advancement, and international collaboration, thereby driving forward the comprehensive aspirations of Saudi Vision 2030.

Moreover, in the MEA region, the sector is projected to be worth $7 billion by 2027, demonstrating the growing significance of technology in education.

How do you see current trends - such as present jobs being replaced with others, many as-yet-unknown - influencing curricula across the Middle East? How should schools and universities incorporate skills-based learning to ensure students can fluidly adapt to tomorrow's challenges?

English proficiency also plays a crucial role in a globalized world, bridging individuals from diverse cultures and facilitating seamless information-sharing worldwide. English is the lingua franca for communication. Today, most English speakers have learned English as a second or additional language - learned through study and testing later in life. This is where English proficiency testing products like ɫèAV's are most useful and can be incorporated into schools and universities.

ɫèAV surveyed 4,000 employees across the globe for our Skills Outlook 2023, which revealed that people are most interested in careers in tech and business-related fields such as e-commerce, software services, data science, and financial services. However, they believe human skills – like problem-solving, leadership, and teamwork – are the most attractive to employers now and in the future. Additionally, a recent ɫèAV on ICT certification shows that 59% of employers in the Middle East have increased their investment in IT skills training within the past 12 months.

This is where the MENA region emphasizes STEM and tech-related fields from the elementary level. For instance, one of the key initiatives of the Ministry of Saudi is to build a world-class education system using STEM and transform Saudi into a knowledge-based economy. Another is the UAE Government Development and the Future Office's "building future talents" initiative to build 10,000 UAE public school female students' skills in STEM fields. The region is upskilling its residents and citizens by incorporating EdTech and gamified learning to keep students engaged in associated subjects.

Anything you'd like to add about education trends in the MENA region?

The focus in the MENA region will be on upscaling its E-Learning and Online Education to promote a 'learn-on-the-go' environment. Within this language learning and bilingual education are a focus to allow students to pursue international opportunities and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education is a focus to equip students with the skills for the modern workforce.

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    Alice Pilkington qualified as a CELTA (Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) certified teacher in October 2009. She started working in Rome before moving to Istanbul, where she’s spent the past three and a half years teaching English to “everyone from 8-year-olds to company executives; students to bored housewives”. Having taught in two very different countries to a diverse range of English learners, Alice shares with us the five lessons she’s learned:

    1. Don't take things personally when you're teaching English

    "I am probably not emotionally suited for this job. I take everything very personally and if a lesson goes wrong or an activity I have taken time and energy to plan doesn’t work, I feel like a complete failure. It’s a trial and error experience but when things go wrong, they can go very wrong, and it really makes you doubt your abilities as a teacher.

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    2. Teaching English is incredibly rewarding

    "There are very few feelings that I’ve experienced that compare to seeing a student use a word that you have taught them – it makes you feel like a proud parent. Equally, seeing a student improve over a series of months is so joyful.I have been teaching English university preparation students for the past year.

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    3. Teach more than just English

    "Turkish students love hearing about how you appreciate their food and cultural traditions. Equally, they are genuinely interested in understanding how things operate in the UK and enjoy hearing personal anecdotes.I tend to be very open with my students – even about my personal life.I think it is partly because I have striven from the very beginning of my career to be seen as their equal.

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    4. Failure to prepare is to prepare for failure... or is it?

    "Lessons that you spend hours preparing for generally don’t go as well as you had hoped. There were several times when I’d spend hours cutting and sticking things on pieces of card and placing pictures all over the classroom, hoping it would get some vocabulary action going, only to start the class and receive no response from the students.

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    5. Teaching English isn't easy

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    Learn to express gratitude

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