Day: June 21, 2024

NIAMEY: Torrential rains and floods in Niger over the past three weeks have resulted in 21 deaths and nearly 6,000 people affected, according to figures released on Thursday.

Colonel Major Bako Boubacar, Director-General of Civil Protection of Niger, said on state television that eight people had drowned and 13 had died in houses that collapsed during storms. Additionally, 26 people have been injured, and approximately 4,000 cattle have been killed or lost.

Central Niger’s Maradi region has been the worst hit since the onset of the rainy season, with a confirmed death toll of 14.

Source: Emirates News Agency

Ministry of Social Solidarity said that 2 Kefaya (Two children is enough) initiative has contributed to enhancing the reproductive health of women and curbing bloating population.

The ministry has equipped 37 additional clinics in 20 governorates in areas deprived of the service in coordination with the Health and population Ministry.

In a statement on Thursday 20/6/2024, the ministry said the project is also preparing 40 more clinics with the support of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

The Ministry of Social Solidarity said the total number of clinics that have been equipped and operated since 2020 stood at 65 family planning clinics in 10 governorates.

The ministry also launched a training programme in collaboration with the UNFPA to hone the skills of civil society organisations to confront the challenges facing them in serving society and realising sustainable development.

Source: State Information Service Egypt

KHANTY-MANSIYSK: More than 50 events – international conferences, panel discussions, round tables, strategic sessions – were held at the XV International IT Forum, which took place on 18-20 June in the Russian city of Khanty-Mansiysk.

Representatives of BRICS, SCO, Africa and Latin America discussed the digital development of society, import-independence and the use of artificial intelligence (AI).

This year’s International IT Forum was organised by the Russian BRICS Chairmanship. TV BRICS was the international media partner of the event.

The main theme of the IT-Forum was “Trust in the Digital World”. The participants discussed the application of the latest technologies in the economy, social sphere and education, as well as cybersecurity, ethical and practical aspects of the introduction of artificial intelligence and prospects for the development of human resources. The forum provided companies and specialists with an opportunity to share experience, find new business contacts and discuss the prospects
for the development of the digital industry.

Janna Tolstikova, CEO of TV BRICS, moderated the panel discussion “New Technologies in the Media Industry: Technological Development of the Industry and New Media Content”, which was attended by media managers from BRICS countries as part of the BRICS Global Media Tour.

The speakers discussed the introduction of modern technologies into media production, including artificial intelligence, new formats of work, and assessed the role of media in the development of international partnerships in science and digitalisation.

“BRICS countries need to cooperate more actively, especially in the field of media, because this way we can create better quality content. This is how the states of the association can effectively promote their ideas to achieve sustainable development. Even before Egypt officially became part of BRICS, Daily News Egypt was already cooperating with the TV BRICS International Media Network,” said Mohamed Samir Khedr, Executive Editor of Daily News Eg
ypt.

BRICS Global Media Tour is an annual project of TV BRICS, which brings together top media executives and leading experts from the media industry. This time, delegates from Egypt, China, Brazil, Cuba, Vietnam, India and Egypt are representing the BRICS and BRICS+ countries. Participants from Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Iran and South Africa joined the events remotely.

German Hermin Ferras Alvarez, Head Correspondent agency of Prensa Latina in Moscow, said that such media tours are necessary to develop ties between media personnel specialising in the same field.

Source: Emirates News Agency

DUBAI: In another demonstration of the continuous improvement in the quality of education, 81 percent of Dubai students now attend private schools rated Good or higher compared to 77 percent during last year’s inspection cycle, according to results released by Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA). This equates to nearly 49,500 students who have benefitted from this improvement.

A total of 209 schools with more than 360,000 students enrolled were inspected this year, including 10 schools that were inspected for the first time.

A total of 23 schools were rated Outstanding, 48 were rated Very Good, 85 Good and 51 Acceptable, while two were rated Weak with no schools rated as Very Weak. Overall ratings improved for 26 schools while three schools saw a decline in their ratings.

Commenting on the results, Aisha Abdulla Miran, Director General of KHDA, said, ‘The continuous improvement by the schools indicates their commitment to offer high quality educational opportunities for students. Our s
chools are among the world’s highest performing, according to international assessments, ranking sixth for literacy in PIRLS, top 10 globally for maths, and top 14 for science and reading in PISA assessments. These results reaffirm Dubai’s competitiveness as a world-class destination for education, in line with the leadership’s vision set out in the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 and Dubai Social Agenda 33.’

She added, ‘We are grateful to the school community, principals, teachers, and parents for their efforts in enriching the learning experiences for students and contributing towards making Dubai one of the top 10 cities in the world for quality education. We look forward to increasing the number of students who are receiving good or better education and providing more distinguished education opportunities to Emirati students.’

Improvement across quality indicators

This year, 90 percent of schools improved in one or more quality indicators. Of these improvements, 67 percent are related to student outcomes, 26
percent to schools’ provisions for learners, and 7 percent to leadership.

Schools in Dubai improved the progress of students in Arabic as a first language, with 64 percent of schools rated Good or higher, compared to 52 percent in the previous year; and 77 percent of schools rated good or higher for progress of students in Islamic education, compared to 68 percent during the 2022-23 academic year.

Private schools in Dubai have made great progress in reducing barriers to learning and ensuring equitable access to education. Inclusive education has improved, with a substantial 76 percent of schools now providing Good or higher rated provisions for students of determination.

Wellbeing provision remains a strong focus, with 83 percent of schools offering wellbeing provision rated Good or higher.

Fatma Belrehif, CEO of Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau (DSIB), said, ‘Private schools continue to achieve significant improvements in the quality of their overall performance, which reflects the commitment of school le
aders and teachers to ensure that high-quality educational opportunities are available to our students.’

She added, ‘We are proud of the efforts of the education community in Dubai to enhance the quality of education and its global competitiveness. We encourage parents to read the reports and gain insights about the quality of education in their children’s schools. We are committed to work with our education community to raise the quality of education in Dubai and align with the future goals of Dubai.’

Inspections during 2024-25 academic year

Private schools in Dubai will not be subjected to full inspections during the 2024-25 academic year, with the exception of new schools that will complete their third year of operation during the next academic year.

This decision aims to support the teaching and learning process for students and gives schools the opportunity to implement changes to support their development and improvement plans. The DSIB team will conduct quality assurance visits that target specific
focus areas to monitor schools’ progress on improvement plans during the next academic year.

Schools that wish to undergo a full inspection may submit a request to the inspection team, which will be subject to review and approval upon KHDA’s discretion.

Full inspection reports and individual parent summary reports for the 2023-24 academic year are available on the KHDA website and mobile app.

Source: Emirates News Agency