KUWAIT ( Kuwait Times): The Ministry of Education (MoE) Wednesday announced the launch of its New Technology Infrastructure Project (NTIP) in coordination with globally renowned technology leader Microsoft. The announcement of the new initiative was made at a press conference held at the education ministry's headquarters, which was attended by education minister Dr. Moudhi Al-Humoud and other senior MoE officials, along with Jean Philippe Courtois, the President of Microsoft International, and Ehab Mustafa, the manager of the firm's Kuwait operation. The NTIP program, part of the ongoing strategic cooperation between the MoE and Microsoft, is one of the largest projects of its kind in the Persian Gulf and Middle East region.

Completed on time and observing the highest standards of quality and precision, the initiative will serve more than 350 high schools and intermediate schools in Kuwait through introducing the latest technological infrastructure into the education process via the latest e-learning and 'smart school' technology.
The project is the vanguard of the MoE's educational development IT initiatives, which is seen as one of the most important factors in raising the level and quality of education in Kuwait. The NTIP initiative is the first of many projects planned as part of the ministry's overall educational development program, designed to make Kuwait the first Arab country to introduce these global-standard IT systems to the state education system to serve all students and teachers at intermediate and high school level.
As part of the wider program devised by the education ministry to position Kuwait as a regional educational center of excellence, the MoE also announced the upcoming launch of the first regional cloud computing center, putting Kuwait at the forefront among Middle East nations for educational quality and attracting educational investment from private universities and research centers. In its first phase, the new center, which will also strengthen Kuwait's efforts to build a knowledge-based society, will serve primary school students, teachers and parents. The MoE plans to finalize its studies for this project by March 2011.
The education ministry has also signed a third agreement with Microsoft through which the company will create a center for technology and software-equipped 'smart classrooms' for teacher training purposes. This center will be able to engage with and develop education technology, contributing to enhancing the quality of education and benefitting from other nations' experience in utilizing technology at all educational stages.
In her speech at Wednesday's opening, education minister Dr. Al-Humoud said, ""Today we are proud to announce the completion of the technology infrastructure project, the first step in the framework of the ministry's projects for educational development.
[The project] makes IT one of the most important factors in improving the quality of education in Kuwait, and I would like to applaud the efforts of the education ministry team on the implementation of this project and on their work to complete it on time following the highest quality standards. Thursday's announcement of the cloud computing center initiative, as well as of the establishment of the software technology center, is a continuation of the ministry's and government's efforts to continue the development of education and prepare a generation of young people able to accommodate the various technologies of the twenty-first century.
Meanwhile, in his address at the event, Microsoft International's president Jean-Philippe Courtois said that the company was honored at partnering with the MoE ""as part of our commitment to building stronger and more innovative economies through helping to transform and improve education systems."" He continued, ""We applaud the education ministry's progressive vision in using a combination of ICT and targeted policy focus to create the best possible environment for education to thrive in Kuwait. The opportunity to use ICT and cloud computing to provide access for many more students to education at lower costs and to enable educators to collaborate more effectively in Kuwait is a strong endorsement of the power of cloud computing.