Sharjah: The leading role that teachers play in implementing smart learning into the educational system was highlighted on the opening day of the third edition of the Professional Programme organised by the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF).

Held in collaboration with the NYU School of Continuing and Professional Studies for Publishing, the event, which gathered around 300 publishers from around the world at the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, highlighted several aspects of the digital world, pointing out its importance in the UAE’s educational system as well as the challenges facing Arab publishers.

While schools have started adopting smart learning methods in the UAE, such as the Kalimat Publishing Group’s new ‘Horouf Educational e-learning Programmes’, Dr Abdullah Al Suwaiji, Chairman of the Shajrah Education Board, said that ensuring that teachers and educators are trained on the new e-learning systems is essential to the development of school curricula in the country.

“The role of the teacher is no longer as a transmitter of information to the students, they have multiple roles — education now is not a transmission of information but a dialogue,” he said.

Al Suwaiji also added that keeping Muslim and Arab traditions in mind, the Ministry of Education in Sharjah is working with schools to help train teachers on new smart programmes in order to keep up with the globalisation of education.

Shaikha Bodour Bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Founder and CEO of Kalimat Publishing Group, agreed and pointed out that training courses and workshops will be available to schools who have adopted the new Horouf e-learning systems that support Arabic literature in schools.

“Through e-learning, students are provided all the elements to help them learn such as visual aids, audio, short videos where education and fun can work together,” said Shaikha Bodour.

Another discussion panel at the programme highlighted the instability in the region, deteriorating living standards, a change in public interest as well as other problems related to censorship, freedom and distribution as some of the challenges facing Arab publishers after the Arab Spring.

“The political disturbance has made the economical situation and market unpredictable, which has greatly affected publishers,” said Mohammad Hashim, Founder of Merrit Publishing House. “We used to publish between 55-70 titles a year, now we do not exceed 25.”

Sherif Bakr from Al Arabi Publishing and Distributing also added that while the political turmoil in the region has allowed for more flexibility in the topics written about, public interest has also shifted. “People between 18-25 years of age around the world are interested in finding out more about Arabs and the Middle East now more than ever, and because of the instability the high demand is not met as there is no translation and not enough copies,” said Bakr.