Friday 26 / April / 2024
Muscat: Two new apps were launched by the Ministry of Education for the benefit of students in government schools at COMEX 2016 Exhibition last Thursday.
The “Easy ways” app aims to make it easier for students to learn basic mathematics by helping them learn how to multiply and memorise multiplication tables by heart, using their fingers.
The app offers the student interactive ways to reach his desired result. The app also features games that encourage students to experiment and train in an attractive and interactive environment which uses several means, including text, voice and movement.
The app was produced by the Electronic Education department of the General Directorate of Development of Curricula.
Another app, the “English Language Book,” features English books that have been optimised with interactive features. It is designed to enable students opting for self-study by giving feedback and acquiring knowledge and skills. This app was produced by the Electronic Content Department of the General Directorate of Education in South Al Batinah.
The new apps were launched in the context of the Ministry’s Educational Portal, an electronic portal that gives students, parents and schools insight into the educational processes.
Exchange of information
Ali Al Ghadani, Head of IT Development at the Ministry of Education, told the Times of Oman that the Ministry has developed apps for both schools and parents to ensure that exchange of information between the two becomes easier.
With the app “Wali Al Amr” [parent], a parent can even get an overview of the results of his children at school even when the children are enrolled in different schools.
“When you have three children who are in three different schools, there is no need to go to each school every time. Just go to the application and you will see all the details,” he said.
The app “Madrasati” [my school] enables teachers to share the student’s grades with the parents. Another app enables schools to organise their finances and communicate directly with the Ministry without involving physical documents. Al Ghadani said this also improves financial oversight of the Ministry over schools.
“We need to make education easy for the teachers, as well as for the parents and the school administration,” he said.
According to Al Ghadani, the apps will not replace physical meetings between parents and teachers. “If there is a problem with your children or you want to make something clear, you’ll have to be there,” he said.
Sulaiman Al Kindi, Director General of IT at the Ministry of Education, told the Times of Oman that the Ministry is communicating electronically with all government schools and with seventy per cent of the private schools.
“We are proud to be a paperless ministry,” he said.
Dr. Hamood bin Khalfan Al Harthy, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education, said after the launch: “We are proud of these applications, which add a lot to the educational efforts. We are even more proud at the fact that these applications have been produced by employees of the Ministry of Education. We have always reiterated that we have massive capabilities that we have to utilize. Today, we are witnessing such creativity, which is a result of these capabilities,” he said.
