International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) is keen on expanding its initiatives in Jordan to stimulate young students' interest in science through the use of technology, according to an IBM executive.
"IBM is keen on expanding the KidSmart early education program in Jordan and increasing the number of preschools benefiting from it," Bashar Kilani, territory manager of the Gulf countries and the Levant region at IBM, told The Jordan Times in a recent interview.
Under the program, IBM provides computer units housed in "colorful child-friendly furniture", pre-loaded with award-winning software to help children explore maths, science and languages, and learn important social and collaborative skills, according to an IBM statement.
Over the past 10 years, IBM has donated over 450 KidSmart Early Learning Centers to public preschools and equipped them with necessary tools in cooperation with the Ministry of Education.
IBM, in partnership with the Education Ministry, has also trained more than 1,000 teachers on the program, according to Kilani.
He added that IBM will implement an initiative in public schools in cooperation with the Ministry of Education called "TryScience".
TryScience is an online resource targeting children between the ages of eight and 16.
Powered by IBM technology, it offers on and offline science experiments, interactive exhibits, multimedia adventures, live cameras and field trips from over 700 science and technology centers around the world, including centers in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, according to IBM.
"IBM is working with the education minister to integrate the new Arabic language version of TryScience with the country's science curriculum," Kilani said.
"Jordan is one of the pioneer countries in dealing with and benefiting from the initiatives and we will continue to support it in this regard," he said.
He added that IBM is also keen on increasing cooperation with Jordanian entities in the fields of cloud computing, banking and data centers, among others.
"The talents and skills in Jordan are ahead of others in the region and we are keen on benefiting from this expertise and boosting cooperation with the country in different fields," Kilani said.
Jordan Times
10 March
