DATA IS KING
Major reforms are underway in the Saudi education sector, spurred by Riyadh's push for more technology in daily life, and Education E-Solutions wants to help accelerate the adoption of new technologies.
BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Hatem Bugshan received his PhD from University of London. His research stream is intellectual property rights and open innovation in the sector of information and communications technology. He has published in high-quality peer reviewed journals such as Journal of Strategic Marketing, Journal of Enterprise Information Management, and Qualitative Market Research. He has also presented his papers in international conferences.
What have been the major highlights over the last year?
The country is working hard on intangible assets, such as knowledge, education, and future skills that can help companies adapt to the future. As we enter the Industry 4.0 revolution, there is a need to impart different skills for tools such as the internet and even newer media in this complex environment. The educational sector has to play a major role in this transition, focusing on peer-to-peer learning, social interactions, and the exchange of information, as promoted by corporate workshops. The more one learns, the easier it becomes to adapt to the future.
Which technologies will have a major impact on education and the corporate segment and why?
Different technologies could play different roles, but the exchange of knowledge will help decision-makers understand the main obstacles they could face with AI. It will allow them to capture qualitative and quantitative data to help them measure trends. The main skill needed now is programming and adopting different languages. We need to teach children from an early age. Private schools have started working on this, though our focus should be on teaching such skills at the primary level. That will help students adjust to new languages.
How can teachers stay one step ahead of their students?
It is complicated, but teachers need to update their mindsets by learning new skills, such as analyzing and capturing data and improving communication and interaction with students. They need data and smart analysis tools to strike a balance with students who are born using these technologies. Teachers need to have the ability to incorporate these skills quickly and easily.
What is the best way to use this data properly?
We need to know what affects the education sector. New technologies such as AI will help companies and decision-makers analyze the information coming in from all these different sources. To help companies adopt AI, we have to remove some barriers and obstacles, such as the fear people have in adopting new technologies. You need to understand the implications of implementing AI in terms of security, for example. To manage this issue, take full advantage of AI, and understand its limits, there needs to be increased transparency, awareness, and literacy around AI technology. In this sense, private organizations need to know more about the threats of cyber attacks. They have to take it seriously.
What role will people play in the new processes established by the advent of new technologies?
People need to learn new skills and add more value to the output of machines. The human component will only become more important at the advanced stages. After we gain insights from new technologies, we need to know how to harness more output and create new ideas. These ideas could lead to further improvements. To get to that point, we have to focus on providing the tools to learn new skills, make use of the data, be more innovative, create more projects, and add value to the latest technologies.
What are the priorities for Education E-solutions?
In 2019, our main focus is to learn about the side skills that the students need to acquire to develop virtual/augmented reality content. Instead of relying on suppliers, we want to provide tools that can help people create content. This will help us integrate our own system, adopt, and shape it to fit specific needs. We want to focus on peer-to-peer communication, which will accelerate the adoption of new technologies.
DATA IS KING
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Interview
Mohammed A. Al-Mowkley , Deputy Minister of Water Services, Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture & CEO, National Water Company (NWC)
NWC leads the Kingdom's efforts to preserve water as a non-renewable national resource and drastically reduce the average per capita water consumption.
read articleInterview
Majed H. Al Saadi , Managing Director, Priority Projects Office (PPO), Local Content and Government Procurement Authority
PPO and ECA act as an accelerator for the realization of Vision 2030 by bridging the gap between the private and public sectors and helping the government diversify the economy in the long run.
read articleInterview
HRH Princess Hala bint Khaled bin Sultan Al-Saud C, Chairman, Saudi Law Conference (SLC) organizing committee & Founder,, Burhan Almarifa
Burhan Almarifa is focused on maturing the legal sector, encouraging innovation, and enabling research and development in KSA through knowledge transfer and consultancy.
read articleInterview
Sahel N. Abduljauwad, Rector, King Fahd University oF Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM)
The King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals has long been the backbone of Saudi Arabia's formidable drilling expertise. Today, it is working to train the next generation of renewable energy and water management scientists.
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Dr. Abdullah Al-Rubaish, Rector, Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal University (IAU)
Dr. Abdullah Al-Rubaish was appointed vice president of KFU in 2007 and president in 2010. He combined his executive experience from serving in various deanships at KFU with academic practices to become associate professor of medicine and work as a medical consultant at the Department of Internal Medicine. He graduated from KFU's College of Medicine and completed his medical internship at KFHU, where he also pursued a fellowship program. He became a member of the UK Royal College of Physicians and the Arab Board after he completed his sub-subspecialty in Pulmonary Medicine at the University of Alberta, Canada.
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Rajaa Moumena, Founder & President, Future Institute of Higher Education and Training
Saudi Arabia is allowing women more privileges, including driving and becoming ambassadors. The Future Institute of Higher Education and Training is trying to help by providing courses they need to adapt to this new world.
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