Saudi- Microsoft has trained 11 million teachers

(MENAFN- Arab News) Microsoft for worldwide education told Arab News here recently that Microsoft has trained 11 million teachers around the world and provided software services to hundreds of millions of students everyday.

This was disclosed to Arab News by a top executive of the software giant in an exclusive interview.

'We continue to be a very invested company in the space of education from a company whose trained teachers are all over the world' said Anthony Salcito Microsoft vice president for worldwide education.

In an interview during his recent visit Salcito said that Saudi Arabia is an important country with a huge youth population which is going to drive its workforce new entrepreneurship and the future growth of industry.

'So we have a huge commitment to growing and making sure we tap that potential that's in the classroom today. They'll be in industry tomorrow in the country' he said.

The country seeks to drive the momentum for change and education as Microsoft believes deeply in the power of education to transform the lives of students to grow economies to create a better quality of life for country's society and communities etc.

'If you think about Microsoft's core foundation we're a company that believes in the power of technology to help people realize their potential' he said adding 'that's what we're all about. If you think about what does that mean for a company like Microsoft in our core it is to help people use tools to help them realize their dreams and their potential.'

He said: 'That's is the goal of every teacher and every school leader should try to help students and enable themselves challenge themselves to inspire them to raise their potential. So we're connected to the mission of education by the core mission of the company. I travel around the world and see schools and school leaders who are struggling.'

Spelling out Microsoft's role on the educational front Salcito observed that they want to empower teachers with the ability to embrace school leader's challenge 'by lots thing. Maybe even technology is not doing enough to transform the classroom.'

He continued: 'Our mission is to help raise the level of dialogue and provide products and technologies. It depends on how we work together in partnership with the education leaders here in Saudi Arabia to raise that level and drive change and transform classrooms to enable better quality education for the students.'

Talking about Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC) visit he said the strategic part of the education system in any country is the vocational and technical education component.

'Partly because one of the most core values of education is to help grow jobs grow economy and elevate students' skills for doing meaningful work in the society.'

According to Salcito Microsoft will provide technological support to the students across TVTC and help them fulfill their desire to extend the course where it blends in an online fashion.

'We need to make sure that students can learn in and out of the classroom as well.'

He referred to the introduction of new technologies like office mix a course technology from Microsoft to help faculty record lectures.

'We are also working together to make it a part of blended learning environment for students across TVTC to have access to online courses.'

He continued: 'We are bringing new inventions such as Hololens which creates interactive scenarios simulation for students or for any user. We talked about the efficiency that can be gained from taking some of the equipment that was used to do modeling and simulation making that digital. We don't have to build an engine and get new parts and materials.'

He said: 'We can do it virtually and try configuring and do number of things that would never be possible and never been even efficient or affordable in the past. We would help in training teachers and making sure that we got school leaders support with our technologies things like IT academy to help students prepare for their workforce.'

The Microsoft executive said they have a desire to work together in partnership through the journey. 'We have together to push a challenge each other and I think that's the journey that we're on with TVTC.'

Salcito added: 'We know technology we'll be a catalyst for change both because we think technology can help transform how we scale and grow education. How we enable education being more personal more adaptive more lifelong more in and out of the classroom anywhere anytime.

According to him the world needs technology both to help and support grow learning 'but we also need technology to be something embraced by students to help build and grow the economy going forward. So that's part of the reason why we think we have an important role to play' he added.