CONNECTED MENA

CONNECTED MENA is an education company dedicated to reimagining how learning happens across the Middle East and North Africa.

[CONNECTED MENA @CONNECTED_MENA]

We often assume AI literacy starts with a chatbot, but it actually begins with curiosity, reasoning, asking good questions, and understanding how decisions are made. When those foundations are in place, students are better prepared for every AI tool that follows.

At CONNECTED MENA, we are reimagining how AI is introduced in schools. Our curriculum focuses on developing understanding before application, ensuring students build the knowledge and critical thinking needed to engage with AI responsibly as they grow.

#AILiteracy #AIinEducation #CONNECTED_MENA

[CONNECTED MENA @CONNECTED_MENA]

Meet our Ambassador, Sevara Tadzhibaeva.

Sevara is an education and learning design professional with experience across international education, EdTech, K–12, higher education, and workforce development. Her work sits at the intersection of AI, education systems, and equitable access to learning, with a strong focus on designing inclusive, learner-centered initiatives that respond to diverse communities and contexts.

A graduate of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Sevara brings extensive global experience and a deep commitment to making learning more accessible, relevant, and future-ready.

Her work reflects a thoughtful approach to innovation, grounded in the belief that education should remain human-centered, inclusive, and responsive to the needs of learners. She continues to contribute to conversations and initiatives shaping the future of education across different contexts.

#CONNECTED_MENA #EducationInnovation #AILiteracy #FutureOfEducation

[CONNECTED MENA @CONNECTED_MENA]

CONNECTED MENA and Maya Company, a member of Qaiwan Group, are pleased to announce their partnership to integrate AI Literacy into Maya’s academic programs.

This partnership reflects Maya Company’s commitment to strengthening learning experiences and its continued investment in preparing students for a world shaped by technology and new forms of knowledge. Through this collaboration, CONNECTED MENA will bring its expertise in AI Literacy, teacher development, and educational innovation to support meaningful implementation across Maya’s academic environment.

We look forward to working together to advance future-ready learning and contribute to the development of students who are prepared to engage with emerging technologies responsibly and confidently.

#AILiteracy
#FutureReadyEducation
#EducationInnovation

[CONNECTED MENA @CONNECTED_MENA]

لا تقتصر رؤ��ة السعودية 2030 على التحول الاقتصادي فحسب، بل يمتد ليشكل حراكاً وطنياً شاملاً ومحوره الأساسي هو الاستثمار في القدرات البشرية، وبناء المهارات التي تمكن الجيل القادم من الابتكار والمنافسة عالمياً والمشاركة بفعالية في صياغة معالم المستقبل. وفي قلب هذا التحول الشامل يبرز دور التعليم كركيزة أساسية، حيث لم تعد المدارس اليوم مطالبة بمجرد إدخال الأدوات التقنية إلى الصفوف الدراسية، بل باتت معنية بمهمة أعمق تتمثل في بناء الوعي الفكري والتحليلي لدى الطلاب، وتمكينهم من التفكير النقدي والتمييز الواعي لكيفية تسخير تقنيات مثل الذكاء الاصطناعي واستخدامها بطريقة مسؤولة وذات معنى إيجابي.

وهنا تبرز أهمية ثقافة الذكاء الاصطناعي كركيزة محورية لا تتجزأ من منظومة تنمية القدرات البشرية؛ فهي تتجاوز تعليم الطالب كيفية استخدام أداة معينة، لتسهم بشكل مباشر في تطوير مهارات القرن الحادي والعشرين مثل الإبداع، وحل المشكلات المعقدة، والتعاون، والتواصل الفعّال في عالم متسارع التغير.

ومن هذا المنطلق، نرى في كونيكتد مينا أن مواكبة هذه التطلعات الوطنية تبدأ أولاً من المقاعد الدراسية، ومن هنا جاء إطلاق منهجنا الشامل لثقافة الذكاء الاصطناعي، الذي يدمج بين أحدث المعايير الدولية وبيئتنا التعليمية ليُلبي بدقة متطلبات السياق المحلي لمدارسنا، مما يتيح للمنظومة التعليمية تنشئة جيل واعٍ لا يقتصر على استيعاب التقنيات الحديثة فحسب، بل يمارسها بمسؤولية، ليصبح شريكاً فاعلاً في صياغة المشهد الرقمي والمعرفي الطموح الذي تقوده المملك��.

#رؤية_السعودية_2030
#تنمية_القدرات_البشرية
#الذكاء_الاصطناعي_في_التعليم
#CONNECTED_MENA

[CONNECTED MENA @CONNECTED_MENA]

The first question schools should ask about AI is not, "Which tool should we use?" It is, "What kind of learners do we want to develop?"

If we want young people who can think critically, navigate complexity, make informed decisions, and use technology responsibly, then AI integration must start with a clear educational vision, not a software purchase.

At CONNECTED MENA, we help schools develop AI strategies that align technology with learning, teaching, assessment, policy, and long-term student success.

#AIIntegration #SchoolLeadership #AIinEducation #CONNECTEDMENA

[CONNECTED MENA @CONNECTED_MENA]

As AI becomes part of the educational landscape, teacher preparation matters more than ever.

The conversation is often focused on tools, but the deeper need is helping educators think carefully about how AI affects teaching, learning, assessment, and professional judgment. Teachers are navigating rapid change in real time, and they need training that acknowledges the complexity of their work while offering clear and meaningful support.

At CONNECTED MENA, our work on AI teacher training is grounded in that belief. It is not about encouraging faster adoption for its own sake, but about creating space for educators to understand the opportunities, question the risks, and engage with AI in ways that are thoughtful, responsible, and relevant to their classrooms.

For inquiries: [email protected]

#CONNECTED_MENA #AIinEducation #TeacherTraining #Teachers

[CONNECTED MENA @CONNECTED_MENA]

Preparing students for the future requires more than content knowledge. It requires transferable competencies, ethical judgment, and the ability to learn, adapt, and think critically in a rapidly changing world.

Through our collaboration with the Center for Curriculum Redesign, CONNECTED MENA is working to bring this vision to life across the MENA region, starting with AI literacy as one of the most urgent educational priorities of our time.
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إن تهيئة الطلاب للمستقبل لا تقتصر على تقديم المناهج الأكاديمية فحسب، بل تتطلب إكسابهم مهارات عملية، ووعياً أخلاقياً، وقدرةً على التعلم والتكيّف والتفكير النقدي في عالم دائم التغير

واليوم، تترجم كونيكتد مينا هذه الرؤية إلى واقع ملموس في المنطقة العربية من خلال تعاونها مع مركز إعادة تصميم المناهج "سي سي آر" ؛ بد��اً بثقافة الذكاء الاصطناعي باعتبارها إحدى أكثر الأولويات التعليمية إلحاحاً في عصرنا الحالي

#CONNECTED_MENA #AIinEducation #AILiteracy

[CONNECTED MENA @CONNECTED_MENA]

UNESCO’s 2025 report Whose education? The future of learning, labor, and living in the age of AI offers an important reminder that the conversation on AI in education cannot be reduced to jobs, tools, or efficiency alone. The real question is what education should build in an age where AI is becoming part of how people learn, work, and live.

The report points toward a more human-centered direction. In the age of AI, education must help learners develop not only technical awareness, but also ethical judgment, critical thinking, and a clear understanding of how AI systems shape decisions, opportunities, and society.

This matters because the future will not be defined only by who can use AI tools. It will also be shaped by who can question these systems, guide them responsibly, and act with humanity in a world increasingly influenced by them.

At CONNECTED MENA, we are committed to helping education systems move beyond AI tool adoption toward deeper AI literacy, responsible use, ethical judgment, and human-centered learning.

#CONNECTED_MENA #AIinEducation #AILiteracy

[CONNECTED MENA @CONNECTED_MENA]

CONNECTED MENA and Cambridge International Schools in Kurdistan are pleased to announce the signing of an agreement to integrate an AI Literacy Curriculum into the Cambridge International Schools in Kurdistan educational program beginning in the 2026–2027 academic year.

Through this agreement, Cambridge International Schools in Kurdistan will become the first school group in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq to formally integrate an academic AI Literacy Curriculum into its program.

The program, developed by CONNECTED MENA in partnership with the @CurrRedesign (CCR), will be implemented across 6 schools and will benefit around 5,000 students. It is designed to help learners understand AI, use it responsibly, think critically about its impact, and develop the awareness needed in a rapidly changing world.

This collaboration reflects a shared commitment to future-ready education, where students are not only introduced to new technologies, but are also equipped with the knowledge, judgment, and ethical foundation to engage with them safely and meaningfully.

Together, CONNECTED MENA and Cambridge International Schools in Kurdistan are taking an important step toward preparing students for the future of learning, work, and society.

#CONNECTED_MENA
#CambridgeSchools
#AIinEducation
#AILiteracy

[CONNECTED MENA @CONNECTED_MENA]

We are proud to announce our partnership with the @CurrRedesign (CCR), a non-profit organization at the forefront of reimagining education for a rapidly changing world.

Founded in August 2011 by Charles Fadel, CCR has been instrumental in advancing a more relevant vision for education, one that goes beyond traditional academic knowledge to include the broader competencies learners need to thrive in the age of complexity and AI.

CCR is widely recognized for its Four-Dimensional (4D) Competencies Framework, a landmark model that has influenced international thinking on curriculum redesign, student readiness, and the future of learning.

Our partnership with CCR strengthens the foundation of our work in AI literacy. It brings leading thinking on curriculum, competencies, and the future of learning into a context that matters for our region.

#CONNECTEDMENA #CCR #AIinEducation #AILiteracy

[CONNECTED MENA @CONNECTED_MENA]

AI is not only changing jobs. It is changing the structure of work itself.

The data increasingly shows that some roles will be displaced, many will be transformed, and the biggest advantage will go to people and institutions who are preparing for the shift.

At CONNECTED MENA, we work at the heart of this transition, helping education systems, teachers, and learners adapt in practical ways rather than conceptual ones. We build AI literacy, develop curricula, and help educational institutions navigate AI integration in ways that are context-aware, pedagogically sound, and grounded in the realities of MENA classrooms.

Sources: World Economic Forum, ILO, IMF, PwC

#CONNECTED_MENA #AIinEducation #futureworkforce

[CONNECTED MENA @CONNECTED_MENA]

While many waves of technological change have entered education, none has placed pressure on teachers quite like AI. Today, teachers are expected not only to teach, but also to learn, adapt, evaluate, and respond to a fast-changing reality that is already reshaping how students access information, think, and engage with the world.

Teachers are not simply delivering content. They are architects of how children build knowledge, form understanding, and make sense of the world around them. If we want future generations to be ready for what is coming, we must prepare teachers before we prepare students.

When teachers are meaningfully empowered to navigate technological change, they become even stronger guides of learning, better equipped to nurture the judgment, skills, and human capacities students will truly need in the years ahead.

#CONNECTED_MENA #AIinEducation #TeacherTraining #Teachers

[CONNECTED MENA @CONNECTED_MENA]

د. تشينغ يان ديفيس، رئيسة منتدى التعليم العالمي، وإحدى القيادات الدولية البارزة في مجال التعليم الدولي. شغلت مناصب قيادية رفيعة في كلية المعلمين بجامعة كولومبيا، وجامعة بنسلفانيا، وجامعة دريكسل، كما قادت مبادرات تعليمية رائدة عابرة للحدود في الولايات المتحدة وآسيا. وتنظر د. تشينغ، وهي إحدى المستشارات البارزات لدى CONNECTED MENA، إلى التعليم بوصفه شكلًا من أشكال ال��بلوماسية، إذ ترى أن الدول عندما تتعلم من بعضها البعض، وعندما يعبر الطلاب والمعلمون الحدود، يصبح التعليم قادرًا على بناء جسور من الاحترام والتواصل، في وقت تؤدي فيه السياسة أحيانًا إلى الانقسام والنزاع.

#دبلوماسية_التعليم
#التعليم_الدولي
#CONNECTED_MENA

[CONNECTED MENA @CONNECTED_MENA]

CONNECTED MENA is now live.

We work at the intersection of AI, education, and system design, supporting schools and institutions to move from experimentation to structured, responsible integration.

For more information, visit our website https://t.co/xCv8pq5iwa

[CONNECTED MENA @CONNECTED_MENA]

يرى البروفيسور كريس ديدي(@chrs_dede) ، أستاذ تقنيات التعلّم في كلية الدراسات العليا للتربية بجامعة هارفارد وأحد مستشاري CONNECTED MENA، أن الاستخدام الأمثل للذكاء الاصطناعي يجب أن يجمع بين حكمة الإنسان وإمكانات التكنولوجيا. فالذكاء الاصطناعي يمتلك قدرة استثنائية على ما يسميه “المعالجة الحسابية”؛ مثل التقدير والحساب، والتعرّف إلى الأنماط، وتوليد المخرجات بالاستناد إلى بياناتٍ موجودة. أما الإنسان، فيقدّم الحكم، وفهم السياق، والتفكير الأخلاقي، والذكاء العاطفي، والإبداع، والقدرة على اتخاذ ��لقرار في مواقف لا يوجد فيها حلٌّ أمثل.

ويؤكد البروفيسور ديدي على أن تعليم الطلبة استخدام أدوات الذكاء الاصطناعي وحده قد يحقق الكفاءة، لكنه لا يطوّر حُسن التمييز والقدرة النقدية. أما حين يتعلّم الطلبة كيف يعمل الذكاء الاصطناعي، وما حدود إمكاناته، وكيف ينبغي أن يوجّهه الحكم الإنساني، فإنهم يصبحون قادرين على ما هو أعمق: تعزيز الذكاء، أي الجمع بين حكمة الإنسان وقدرة التكنولوجيا.

#الذكاء_الاصطناعي
#الذكاء_الاصطناعي_في_التعليم
#التعليم_المستقبلي