Elearning - February/March 2008 - (Page 9) Bill Gates Pledges More IT Education for Arabs News Koreans Embracing E-learning Potential Despite Korea’s slowing economy, its online education market is expected to expand by an average 14.5 percent over the coming year, boosted by a zeal for private education and a high broadband penetration rate. The market is expected to skyrocket to $2.1 billion in 2010, from $1.7 billion in 2006, Hyundai Securities says. Megastudy, which was launched by CEO Son Joo-eun, mainly provides online education to junior high and high school students. Since its launch in 2000, the firm has been doubling its revenue every two years. Korea will also adopt an Americanstyle law school system next year, which is creating a new market for the Law Education Eligibility Test, modeled after our law school admission test. During his keynote address at a January government leaders forum in Abu Dhabi, Bill Gates revealed the results of a new study by IDC underscoring the impact of information and communication technology on the Arab world’s economy. “Technology has touched millions of lives and played a significant role in fostering economic development across the region,” Gates said. “Microsoft’s goal is to [help] governments and partner organizations … use technology to accelerate social and economic development.” The Microsoft-sponsored IDC research project found that the Microsoft “ecosystem” plays a key role in driving the IT industry’s overall contribution to job growth and economic development in the region, which is composed of Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and United Arab Emirates. The study also found that for every $1 that Microsoft earns in 2007, companies working with Microsoft in that region will earn $15.56. Gates also said that he will teaming with the Mohammed Bin Rashid Foundation to enhance research and knowledge creation in the region, partly by making a five-year commitment to the Partners in Learning program. Microsoft will support the Mohammed Bin Rashid Foundation by designing and implementing a state-of-the-art technology platform in the Arab world, in order to establish a collaborative research and knowledge creation environment. The platform will reportedly make it easy for professors, researchers and academic institutions to communicate with each other and exchange research and other knowledge. Elearning! February/March 2008 9
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