NEWS
As Part of Contractual Research with ABEGS An Academic at UoB Participates in Publishing a Book On The Digital Divide in The Arab Educational Environment
Sakhir – University of Bahrain (Khadijah Abdusalem)
12 September 2023
As part of a contractual research with the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States (ABEGS), assistant professor of educational studies at Bahrain Teachers College, Dr. Moosa Jaafar Fateel, participated in issuing a book titled “The Digital Divide: Challenges and Applications in the Arab Educational Environment,” edited by Prof. Dr. Taghreed Al-Rehaili from Taibah University, and Prof. Dr. Ali Al-Moussawi from Sultan Qaboos University.
Dr. Fateel pointed out that the book presents concepts, ideas and topics related to the digital divide in a comprehensive manner, while basing its inferences on international and national data, studies, and reports from the Gulf countries. The term “digital divide” refers to the gap between those who are able to use the Internet because they possess the necessary skill and financial ability, and those who cannot use the Internet.
In the fourth chapter, Dr. Fateel discussed the digital divide and the educational curriculum, where he addressed the connection between the manifestations of the digital divide and the design of the educational curriculum in the Gulf Cooperation Council, especially in science, mathematics, and languages. The curricula of these subjects were compared in terms of the required competencies and linked to global experiences and practices in some developed countries, such as Estonia, Finland, and Korea.
In addition, the book – which included seven chapters – discussed the concept of the digital divide, the practices of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries in digitization during the pandemic, and their repercussions on education, in addition to the development of the digital divide and technological capabilities, the digital divide in educational administration and policies, the digital divide and the educational curriculum, the digital divide and the role of the teacher, the digital divide and the student’s digital competence, and the challenges of the digital divide and their solutions.
It is worth noting that Dr. Fateel co-authored the book alongside: Prof. Dr. Ahmed Al-Henyan (Kuwait), Prof. Dr. Somaya Al-Ma’adheed (Qatar), Prof. Dr. Salah Al-Sharhan (Kuwait), Prof. Dr. Ali Al-Moussawi (Oman), and Prof. Dr. Laila Al-Juhani (Saudi Arabia), Prof. Dr. Taghreed Al-Rehaili (Saudi Arabia), Dr. Dina Al Thani (Qatar), and Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Mekhlafi (UAE).
Dr. Fateel has published more than 20 publications of books, chapters in books, scientific papers in conferences, and scientific articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals, some of which are classified in Scopus. Also, he is a member of the Board of Directors of the Bahrain Society for Training and Human Resource Development, and Chairman of its Studies and Publications Committee.
