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Pottermore Publishing to Release the Harry Potter Audio Books in Arabic on Storytel

  • Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone audiobook to be available on Storytel platform in spring 2019
  • Top voice-over artist Samaan Ferizali picked as narrator of audio book

Dubai, UAE, January 23rd, 2019 –Storytel, the division of one of Europe’s leading platform for audio books, is set to debut the much-anticipated Harry Potter audiobooks in Arabic at Cairo International Book Fair today, a landmark move that will Storytel’s first ever participation in the largest and oldest book fair in the Arab World. The first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, will be available on the Storytel platform this spring, while the remaining books series will be gradually released throughout 2019. Fans of the Harry Potter book series in the Arab region are in for a major treat as the Arabic audio format is narrated by top voice-over artist Samaan Ferizali.

Pottermore, the global digital publisher of stories from the Wizarding World™, and Storytel have partnered to make the Arabic audio book version of the stories about The Boy Who Lived exclusively available on the latter’s platform. The collaboration is expected to expand Storytel’s audience and bring the Harry Potter series to listeners in the Arab world.

Ammar Mardawi, Country Manager of Storytel Arabia, said: “Harry Potter is a unique global phenomenon which helped many people around the world to become regular book consumers by captivating their imagination and emotions. The debut of the Arabic audio book version of Harry Potter is a major milestone for Storytel Arabia as it will introduce them to the audio book experience for the first time. We are announcing the Arabic audiobooks of Harry Potter at the Cairo book fair because of the outstanding Harry Potter fan base among Egyptian young people.” 

“We are very pleased with Ferizali’s work in this project. It took us several months of auditions and evaluations as well as series of surveys among Harry Potter fans before we arrived at our final decision. Ferizali is doing a fantastic job in bringing over 150 characters to life in the series,” Mardawi added.

About Storytel:

Storytel is the world’s first streaming service for unlimited listening/reading on the mobile phone. The service was launched in 2005 and Storytel has had more than 53 million consumed audio books and ebooks up to this date. Storytel works with all smartphones, and has an offline function which makes it possible to listen to audio books even when there’s no internet connection available. In the past four years, Storytel has had a compound annual growth rate (“CAGR”) of 62 percent and continues to grow year after year. The company is headquartered in Stockholm and operates in 15 markets: Sweden, Norway, Denmark, The Netherlands, Finland, Russia, Poland, Iceland, Turkey, Italy, Spain, India, United Arab Emirates, Mexico and Bulgaria.

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Ministry of Health and Prevention Launches ‘Kids’ Community Program to Increase Children’s Knowledge on Diabetes

UAE, November 19th, 2018 – As part of its commitment to educate children about diabetes, the Ministry of Health and Prevention, in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Sanofi, hosted an awareness event at the Dubai Festival City Mall in line with its ‘Kids and Diabetes in Schools’ (Kids) program.

The program aims to promote better understanding of the impact of the disease on kids and highlight the role of families and the entire community members in the effective management of diabetes. This year, the reach of the initiative went beyond the confines of the schools to raise community awareness about key health issues. Continue reading “Ministry of Health and Prevention Launches ‘Kids’ Community Program to Increase Children’s Knowledge on Diabetes”

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‘Hackathon’ Competition Winners

Mansoor Bin Mohammed Honors Outstanding Winners of ‘Hackathon’ Competition

‘Emirati Programmer’ gives young local talents an opportunity to join global programming competitions

  • 4 young Emirati talents win the title of ‘Innovative Emirati Programmer’
  • International jury evaluates creative applications in line with UAE’s national policies
  • Local contestants demonstrate high-level skills in programming, computer thinking systems, digital applications, & electronic games

UAE, November 12, 2017 – H.H. Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum honored the ‘Innovative Emirati Programmer’ winners of the ‘Hackathon’ competition organized by the Emirates Talent Association and Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University (HBMSU). The recognition marked the culmination of the successful first batch of the ‘Emirati Programmer,’ the first-of-its-kind national initiative in the UAE launched to enhance the skills of Emirati programmers in programming languages, computer thinking systems, the basics of digital application and electronic games development. Continue reading “‘Hackathon’ Competition Winners”

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DEWA Organises 1st Summer Camp for Young Engineers

Dubai, UAE, August 4th, 2016 – Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has organised a summer camp for children under the theme ‘Engineers of the Future.’ The summer camp features specialised training programmes to develop children’s communication skills, helping them cope with pressure, face obstacles, and enhance teamwork. This promotes innovation among children, and creates a platform by which they can improve their skills, with a focus on electrical and mechanical engineering, science, and mathematics.

DEWA’s summer camp is open to all citizens and residents between the ages of 12-15, and will be held from 7-18 August 2016 at DEWA’s Reading Tent, which is located at Gate 2 of Zabeel Park. The camp features a host of activities and entertainment programmes, to prepare children for a promising future career, while developing their technical skills, and encouraging research by students, to harvest a new generation focused on science and technology. Continue reading “DEWA Organises 1st Summer Camp for Young Engineers”

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Taqaddam Helps to Inspire Young UAE Nationals

Youth-development programme concludes with high profile national competition

Pristine Private School takes the honours with competition win

Dubai, UAE, May 17th 2016 – Over 240 students from 12 Dubai schools have been inspired to reach greater personal heights after successfully completing the youth development programme Taqaddam.

HSBC Bank Middle East Ltd and the British Council have worked in partnership to deliver the new initiative that has helped young men and women in the UAE to build their self-confidence and develop the life skills they need to fulfil their potential.

Capping the seven week programme was the ‘Future Ideas’ competition,  which asked the students to devise an innovative idea that addressed key global challenges. Continue reading “Taqaddam Helps to Inspire Young UAE Nationals”

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Pearson launches School Improvement Service to align with UAE School Inspection Framework

Pearson aims to help schools meet new national standards and embed world-class systems and processes in UAE schools
Dubai, UAE, 14 May, 2016 – Pearson has announced a new School Improvement Service, designed to help UAE schools perform against the standards set out in the UAE’s new School Inspection Framework. The Framework is designed to help meet the country’s national agenda for education reform set about the UAE’s 2021 vision.

The UAE School Inspection Framework was rolled out in 2015, unifying the many inspection and school improvement models that had previously been in place throughout the country. The Framework is an evaluation system that measures the quality of a school’s performance, supporting school improvements through regular inspections. School inspections are structured around six performance standards including student achievement; personal and social development of students; teaching and assessment; curriculum; protection, care, guidance and support of students; and leadership and management.
The 2015-2016 Framework Guide, released by the UAE Ministry of Education, the Abu Dhabi Education Council, the Dubai Knowledge and Human Development Authority, and the Abu Dhabi Centre for Technical and Vocational Training, states:
“To achieve the world-class education system to which it aspires, the UAE must apply a high quality evaluation system to measure reliably the quality of school performance and to support school improvements and students’ outcomes through rigorous and regular school inspection. The UAE School Inspection Framework is based on comprehensive performance standards that define the essential aspects of a quality education”.
International school improvement expert, Dr Brad Ermeling, Principal Research Scientist at Pearson, believes there are four key elements to achieving optimal school improvement outcomes. He says:
“Research conducted through the Pearson Research and Innovation Network has shown that the best results come from school improvement programmes when four considerations are taken into account. These are:
1.      Emphasis needs to be placed on doing the “ordinary”, day-to-day work well. It is often these seemingly insignificant tasks that have the greatest impact on how well a school performs overall;
2.      The detail is exceedingly important – it is one thing to come up with a great idea or vision, but often the most difficult aspects of reform is in figuring out the details that will actually make the plan work.
3.      Successful action (that is, getting things done) begets improved attitudes, beliefs and knowledge, and;
4.      Everyone needs to be involved and school leaders are instrumental in bringing the entire school community on board with necessary changes.
Therefore, a holistic approach to school improvement that looks beyond individual areas of school improvement is necessary”.
Amanda Collins, Pearson’s Regional Director for School Services, says that the new Pearson School Improvement Service maps this international research with the specific needs of institutions in the UAE. She says the Service is designed to meet the challenges faced by UAE schools in preparing for inspection and help them along the path of continuous improvement.
“Schools are consistently looking for ways to improve to give learners the best possible chance of meeting their potential, both academically and in other important areas of development. The new School Improvement Service helps schools to achieve that goal, whilst mapping against the specific criteria set out in the Inspection Framework. We work closely with schools to identify what areas require attention through a school-wide needs assessment. The team, which includes certified school inspectors, then sets about creating a tailored plan. This plan includes face to face and online professional development, policy support, in-class support and coaching that improves performance in identified areas, with on-going consultation and monitoring the cornerstone of the service”.
Ms Collins goes on to say that improving learner outcomes is the overarching aim of the School Improvement Service.
“There are many elements of a successful school improvement programme, professional development, staff appraisals and targeted teaching interventions to name just a few. However, improving learner outcomes is the ultimate goal of the whole process. We want to help create schools where learning thrives and where learners are excited about the future they can achieve”.
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King’s School in Dubai (video)

Kings’ Schools is a prestigious schools group. Schools include the founding school Kings’ School Dubai in Umm Suqeim as well as Kings’ School Al Barsha and Kings’ School Nad Al Sheba and our head office Kings’ Education.
Kings’ School Dubai is the only school in the Emirates to have achieved the rating of “outstanding” for six years since inspections by the Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau began. Our schools have a British heritage and an international perspective where children become effective, enthusiastic and independent life-long learners who are able to adapt to the changes and challenges of a fast-moving, modern world.
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Al Hammadi: “UAE is leading global trends towards modern education systems”

UAE Minister of Education: “We will continue to integrate basic IT skills & digital literacy in school curriculum.”
Ministry of Education’s Assistant Undersecretary of Support Services: “Modern designs for schools & attractive learning environment for teachers, administrators & students.”

UAE, June 9, 2015 – H.E. Hussain Al Hammadi, UAE Minister of Education, has announced that the five principles to unleash the potential of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) agreed upon at the International Conference on ICT and Post-2015 Education held recently in Qingdao, China, are the same as those guaranteed by the UAE’s Constitution and Legislations. These principles are in line with the development strategy of UAE Vision 2021, the UAE National Agenda, and the Ministry’s Education Development Plan 2015-2021.
H.E. Al Hammadi pointed out that since the declaration of the Union, the UAE has realized the value of five principles, namely, the right of education, equity, integration, quality education and lifelong learning, which formed the main themes of the conference. The UAE also realized early on and proactively that it is important and necessary that everyone gets good, equal and comprehensive education in order to build modern, sustainable, inclusive and knowledge-based societies.  
H.E. Al Hammadi expressed his views at the conference where he headed a high-profile official delegation from the UAE that included H.E. Abdul Rahman Al Hammadi, Assistant Undersecretary of Support Services. The International Conference on ICT and Post-2015 Education was inaugurated by Liu Yandong, Vice-Premier of the State Council of China, in the presence of the Ministers of Education, a host of senior educational officials, experts and specialists representing over 90 countries.
Speaking on the occasion, H.E. Al Hammadi said that the global educational system is witnessing rapid transformations and long-term directives that are directly related to major advances in ICT, cognitive revolution, and the knowledge-economy society. This was evident throughout the conference, where various topics were discussed during the specialized panels. He emphasized that the UAE enjoys a leading position in terms of providing education systems that keep pace with the changing time as confirmed by UAE Vision 2021. The vision calls on the need to invest in science, technology and research at various levels with special emphasis on education and its development to provide students with the knowledge and skills of the 21st century to increase specialized scientific abilities in the present and the future.
H.E. Al Hammadi revealed that attendees focused on e-Learning, and the UAE, as it seeks to achieve the highest global competitive rates, talked about ‘smart’ learning and post smart learning. The country has also adopted a series of development programs that support this renewed type of education in its curricula, teaching methods, assessment and exam systems, infrastructure, and extracurricular activities. These, along with the support of an elite list of educators and administrators, will support the Ministry in developing a school environment that incubates creativity and innovation while stimulating ingenuity. These concepts have been adopted by the global education systems now and were revisited during the deliberations regarding the future of education and technology beyond 2015.
H.E. Al Hammadi confirmed that ICT for learning and other fields is no longer a specialized skill, but is the basis for success in modern societies. He noted that the Ministry of Education adopts what was affirmed by the conference about the importance of integrating basic ICT skills and digital literacy in the curriculum of primary and secondary schools. Moreover, it provides many unprecedented educational opportunities to enable Emirati students to use digital devices to enhance their familiarity with modern sciences, knowledge, and specialized research. Additionally, the Ministry focuses on developing students’ administrative, educational and technical skills that will help them in utilizing knowledge to keep abreast with the latest technology by inventing smart teaching tools, reflecting the distinctive capabilities of the UAE’s educational arena.
H.E. Al Hammadi pointed out that the UAE Ministry of Education, in cooperation with its strategic partners and institutions concerned with the education sector, is developing comprehensive National Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Systems in order to provide sound evidences to formulate policies on recruitment and use and measure the impact of ICT in education. He also added that through these joint efforts the Ministry aims to enhance the management of the educational system, ensuring compliance with the highest standards of educational practices and strengthening the planning, implementation and follow-up process, in addition to promoting sustainability concepts in education.
H.E. Abdul Rahman Al Hammadi, Assistant Undersecretary for Support Services, said: “The Ministry of Education is intensifying its efforts to create new opportunities to utilize all available capabilities which represent the core of the educational process and the backbone of development. These capabilities include human resources, infrastructure, educational equipments and tools, school facilities, auditing, evaluation, and follow-up systems along with other logistic factors that support the efforts to develop the education sector and achieve sustainability within school community.”
He added: “The Ministry is focusing on providing professional development opportunities for teachers, administrators and staff in schools, as they are the pillars of the education sector. We believe that investing in human capital is of great significance due to its vital role and that its development requires the implementation of high-level educational practices as well as conformity with the highest standards of professionalism to ensure optimal management of the development process by qualified personnel. The Ministry looks forward to strengthening existing partnerships with leading consulting firms as well as with the universities and educational institutions in the UAE which can share their experience in implementing and supervising various training programs.”
H.E. Abdul Rahman Al Hammadi stated that according to the China Conference, the requirements of educational development include good education, quality of educational services related to modern educational and service facilities, advanced equipments, and innovative educational techniques and technology. He said that these requirements are the most important elements for positively changing school operations. They are also effective tools for supporting the Ministry’s objective of enhancing schools in the UAE and making them attractive for students, teachers and administrators.
“The Ministry has approved new designs that aim to develop modern schools in the UAE. We look forward to opening the new schools soon in line with our efforts to achieve the objective of our development plan and keep pace with global movements. The schools will include sustainable facilities developed according to the highest standards of Green Buildings, an institution developed in accordance with the special specifications of smart learning systems, as well as special-purpose facilities such as rooms for learning resources and enrichment activities. The modern schools will also include technical and scientific laboratories that are being developed in line with the requirements of advanced curricula and innovative teaching methods. The Open Classroom is one of the highlights of the modern schools, as they support the objectives of the educational development plan aimed at providing high-quality service and educational outcomes to enable students to enroll in the best universities in the UAE and abroad without prior preparation,” H.E. Abdul Rahman Al Hammadi added.
H.E. Abdul Rahman Al Hammadi said that the Ministry is aiming to enhance the operational efficiency of schools in the UAE through a series of roles related to administrative and financial affairs, pointed out that the step will facilitate the educational process, meet the daily needs of the schools in accordance with the applicable regulations and in a flexible manner, to achieve the objectives of Q-Scale Project and other leading initiatives. The final statement of the conference emphasized the importance of encouraging lifelong learning, promoting innovative and advanced Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) methods, and supporting the concept of accountability. It also reflected the urgent need for adopting the principles and methods of online education, and activating the role of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in improving learning paths and enabling all segments of society, especially those with special needs, to gain access to educational services.
The statement also highlighted the significance of ICT-based innovative educational tools as main contributors in maximizing employment opportunities, especially in the fields that require certified skills.
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Ministry of Environment and Water Successfully Concludes Activities of National Environment Day

Closing ceremonies highlighted with launch of National Strategy on Environment Education and Awareness
UAE, March 5, 2015 – His Excellency Dr. Rashid Ahmed Bin Fahad, Minister of Environment and Water, attended the concluding activities for the UAE’s celebration of the 18th edition of National Environment Day held today (Thursday, March 5, 2015) in Abu Dhabi. The event which is held every March 4th under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, was attended by government and private institutions, civic organizations and members of the local community.

Also present during the event were Dr. Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al Nuaimi, who is more popularly known as the ‘Green Sheikh;’ Mohammed Saleh, Director General, Federal Electricity and Water Authority (FEWA); Ali Mehad Al Suwaidi, Acting Undersecretary, Ministry of Education; Riyadh Bin Aylan, Director General, Sharjah City Municipality; Khaled Huraimel, General Manager, Bee’ah; Dr. Ali Mohamed Ibrahim, Chairman, Environment Friends Society (EFS); Dr Mohamed, MENA Regional Director, International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and a number of officials and representatives from different government agencies.
During the ceremonies, Dr. Bin Fahad stressed on the importance of National Environment Day, which has been celebrated for the last 18 years. The event, as he pointed out, has been implemented along with other government programs and initiatives with the objectives of increasing environmental awareness and encouraging UAE nationals and residents towards more sustainable and environmentally friendly practices. In his speech, the Minister also pointed out the need for greater attention at the national level and greater integration and harmony between efforts, programs and awareness strategies rolled out by the Ministry and other environmental authorities.
H.E. Bin Fahad shared that this year’s event has received both broad and formal public interest, which was widely reflected in the overwhelming response generated from the planned activities and events that were held as part of the annual celebration. He further added that the events highly excelled in innovation and creativity, reflecting the backbone of knowledge for the ministry. For the first time in 18 years, a separate website was created for National Environment Day—featuring information about the event itself, related activities, the environment, green economy and particularly focused on innovation in addressing critical environmental issues.
The Minister stressed that education and awareness are considered essential factors for the efforts towards environmental preservation and development. An important part of these policies depends on key criteria like culture, awareness and the decisions and actions made by individuals or groups on the environment and its resources.
Towards the end of his speech, H.E. Bin Fahad expressed his gratitude and appreciation to government agencies, various media organizations, public welfare associations and environmental authorities who have helped in organizing this year’s National Environment Day celebrations.
The ceremony also featured a short film presentation about innovation and its importance in the move towards preserving the environment. Engineer Mariam Saeed Hareb, Director of Environmental Education and Awareness, Ministry of Environment and Water, gave a summarization of all the events that transpired during National Environment Day. This was followed by a graduation of a group of environmental ambassadors from the seven emirates who participated in a series of intensive training and workshops on various environmental issues. The initiative, which is a project organized in partnership with the Ministry of Education, was sponsored by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Corporation. 
The highlight of the closing ceremony was the launching of the National Strategy on Environment Education and Awareness—an initiative that follows the Ministry’s commitment towards raising the level of environmental awareness in the UAE. The strategy, which will be implemented from 2015 to 2021, represents a unified qualitative step towards ecological awareness and efforts to preserve the local environment.
H.E. Bin Fahad emphasized that the strategy represents the ongoing efforts to raise more awareness in saving the environment, which also falls in line with the vision and objectives set by UAE Vision 2021.
Engineer Hareb explained that the strategy is focused on six key objectives that were based on international standards and guidelines of the parties involved. The program aims to educate the country’s younger generation and encourage them to lead the UAE towards a sustainable future and strengthen the community’s commitment to sustainability and environmental protection. The launch also aims at encouraging active participation from the public and private sector; educate governments and key stakeholders on environmental issues and to ensure the integration and effectiveness of environmental awareness campaigns.
Lastly, Minister Bin Fahad toured the ‘Wall of Knowledge,’ an initiative that aims to raise the awareness and knowledge on key environmental issues and concerns with the use of the latest technologies available today. ‘The Wall of Knowledge’ features the ability to connect more than one smart device at a time to create an internal network that integrates elements of the real world with the digital world, using more than 25 electronic minds.
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UAE Steps Up Efforts to Address Book Piracy in Schools

Arabian Anti-Piracy Alliance honors Abu Dhabi DED for its pioneering efforts in battling book piracy
UAE, November 08, 2014 – The Arabian Anti-Piracy Alliance (AAA), the leader in combating piracy within the GCC region, recently honoured the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (DED) for its significant contributions in the battle against book piracy in the UAE. The AAA lauded the agency for implementing the Middle East region’s first ever campaign against book piracy. In recognition of these efforts, the AAA presented a special plaque of appreciation to the Abu Dhabi DED in a special meeting also attended by representatives of the publishing industry.
Abu Dhabi DED ran a successful campaign against book piracy across schools in Abu Dhabi—conducting inspections to see if pirated books were used in these schools. The inspections resulted in the discovery and seizure of pirated books that were in violation of the UAE copyright law.
Ola Khudair, Deputy CEO, Arabian Anti-Piracy Alliance (AAA), said: “We commend the Abu Dhabi Government for acting strongly on our call for measures against book piracy, particularly being the first time ever in the middle east for actions directly at the schools. The Abu Dhabi DED’s initiative to combine cooperation with Abu Dhabi Educational Council, in particular reflects the emphasis placed by the government in finding solutions to this growing social and economic threat.  The degraded quality of the pirated books severely affects the students’ ability to maintain the text books for an average life period during the term, as well put unwanted burden on the parents to repeatedly buy the books.  The Publishers put in lot of efforts to develop content of text books and pirates steal these text books without any return to the Publishers for investing into the development of the text books.”
Emma House, Director of Publisher Relations, The Publishers Association (PA) UK, “The PA and its publisher members are very grateful to the Abu Dhabi DED and the Abu Dhabi Education Council for their support in combating book piracy. The recent initiative of conducting school inspections ensures that schools and students are aware of the fact that pirated books are poor in quality and violate UAE copyright laws. The protection of copyright also ensures that publishers are able to continue producing quality educational products in the region at fair and affordable prices without unfair competition from illegal sellers. Rest assured, PA’s publisher members and its anti-piracy teams will continue to work with the local authorities and the AAA to ensure that their aims are met.”
The Dubai-based Arabian Anti-Piracy Alliance is dedicated to curbing piracy in the Middle East region through the implementation of a comprehensive anti-piracy program that includes strategic activities like public awareness campaigns, aggressive lobbying and legal action against IPR offenders. The Alliance, which evolved from the anti-piracy program established by the Motion Picture Association in 1996, currently has full time operations in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, where its Operations Managers closely coordinate with governments to safeguard against copyright and trademark infringements.
The Publishers Association (PA) is the leading trade organisation serving book, journal, audio and electronic publishers in the UK.