NEWS
KSA
New Age Education Summit to focus on educational technology
UMS Conferences has announced the launch the New Age Education Summit , to be held from 8 to 9 May , 2017 in Riyadh , Kingdom of Saudi Arabia . The primary objective of the summit is to discuss the benefits , challenges and opportunities of implementing educational technology for rectors , deans , principals and other educational authorities in the Gulf Cooperation Council ( GCC ) region . It will bring together leading educational experts to present case studies , conduct live product demonstrations and share success stories .
The educational sector is one of the largest markets in the GCC . Education expenditure accounts for 19.5 % of the total public expenditure in the region , exceeding the global average of 14.6 %. In a bid to raise the educational standards and keep up with current trends , governments across the GCC are backing the introduction of educational technology such as e-learning in classrooms . E-learning has been proven to cut instruction time for teachers by 60 %. It also increases the retention rate among students significantly . E-learning platforms have consequently been made mandatory in most schools across the GCC .
The New Age Education Summit will feature a distinguished panel of industry experts who will cover critical issues such as the transition from high school to college , the difference between digital natives and digital immigrants , how to select and train teachers and the technological practices adopted by top universities across the globe . It will provide delegates with the opportunity to collaborate with prospective clients , increase their brand ’ s visibility and network with the key influencers and decision makers that shape the educational industry in the GCC .
Saudi Arabia warns destructive computer virus ‘ Shamoon ’ has returned
( Report from AP ) Saudi Arabia is warning that a computer virus that destroyed systems of its staterun oil company in 2012 has returned to the kingdom , with at least one major petrochemical company apparently affected by its spread .
Suspicion for the initial dispersal of the Shamoon virus in 2012 fell on Iran as it came after the Stuxnet cyber attack targeting Tehran ’ s contested nuclear enrichment program .
It wasn ’ t immediately clear who could be responsible for the new infection , though the relations between regional rivals remain tense .
A report by Saudi state-run television included comments suggesting that 15 government agencies and private institutions had been hit by the Shamoon virus , including the Saudi Labour Ministry . The ministry said it was working with the Interior Ministry to contain the virus .
Sadara , a joint venture between the Saudi Arabian Oil Co . and Michigan-based Dow Chemical Co ., shut down its computer network Monday over a disruption .
Sadara is based in Jubail Industrial City , which sits about 100 kilometres ( 60 miles ) northwest of the eastern Saudi city of Dammam in the heartland of the kingdom ’ s oil industry . The $ 20 billion facility , inaugurated by Saudi King Salman in late November , includes 26 manufacturing units that will produce more than three million metric tons of plastics and chemical products .
Symantec Corp ., a California-based security firm , warned in late November that Shamoon had been spotted again in Saudi Arabia . Computers affected had their hard drives erased and displayed a photograph of the body of 3-yearold Syrian boy Aylan Kurdi , who drowned fleeing his country ’ s civil war , Symantec said .
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