Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) is set to establish its first overseas campus in Abu Dhabi next year, according to Sunjay Sudhir, the Indian ambassador to the UAE. Sudhir revealed that discussions are still ongoing between IIT Delhi and the Department of Education and Knowledge Abu Dhabi (ADEK) regarding the location of the campus, curriculum, student body and business model.
The Abu Dhabi campus is expected to provide high-quality education to its students, although faculty details are yet to be confirmed. IIT is widely regarded as one of the best engineering colleges in the world, with 23 campuses across India offering undergraduate, postgraduate and doctorate level programmes. Notable alumni include Alphabet Inc. CEO Sunder Pichai and Indian industrialist NR Narayana Murthy.
UAE schools are exploring new technologies to prevent students from using AI programs such as ChatGPT to cheat. While many educators believe that embracing AI is the way forward, they stress that pupils should not be allowed to use it to avoid work. To tackle the issue, schools are implementing tools like Zero GPT that can detect whether a text has been generated by a human or by AI programs like ChatGPT or Google Bard. Educators are also exploring the development of applications and systems that can identify AI-generated written works through their uniform language patterns.
Some schools have chosen to restrict access to ChatGPT, but others believe that simply banning it is not the solution. Instead, they are focusing on educating pupils on responsible digital citizenship and online safety. Schools are also finding ways to modify assignments and questioning methods to prevent students from using AI tools. Additionally, educators are exploring ways to leverage ChatGPT to reduce their workload and create lesson plans in a more streamlined fashion.
While ChatGPT is widely available in the public domain, censoring or restricting its use is not practical. Hence, schools are educating and empowering students and staff to use the technology responsibly. Several professional development sessions have been organized for teachers on the topic of ChatGPT, including its potential benefits and how to detect its use in academic work. The ultimate goal is to find the right leverage and balance between using AI for educational purposes and preventing its misuse for academic dishonesty.
The Sharjah Private Education Authority (SPEA) has implemented the second phase of its “Your Children Are Safe” initiative by installing cameras and safety equipment on 2,000 buses transporting students to private schools in the emirate.
The cameras enable parents to monitor their children’s travel to and from school. In the first phase, GPS devices were fitted on buses to enable tracking through the control and monitoring room of the SPEA and the operations room of Emirates Transport. The initiative also involves training 3,250 bus drivers and supervisors on safety. Tariq Al Hammadi, Acting Director of Government Communication Department at SPEA, stated that the initiative was launched under the directives of His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah.
The system includes tablets for bus supervisors and a smart application for parents to track the buses. The initiative covers 2,000 buses, and all school buses in private schools in Sharjah will be registered in the tracking system. Private schools have also been advised to install security and safety devices according to the emirate’s standards.
Recently, OpenAI launched ChatGPT to the public and tech giants Google and Baidu quickly followed with their own AI-powered chatbots. However, Amazon has now raised the bar with their latest language models which have outperformed GPT-3.5 by 16% on the ScienceQA benchmark.
The ScienceQA benchmark is a large set of science-based multiple-choice questions that test a language model’s ability to reason and make inferences. Amazon’s models achieved this high accuracy through their Multimodal-CoT approach, which combines visual and language data to create a more effective rationale.
Multimodal-CoT works by breaking down reasoning into two stages: generating a reason and figuring out the answer. The model is fed both visual and language data in the rationale generation stage and the resulting rationale is added to the language input in the answer inference stage. This results in a more convincing argument and more accurate answers.
The Amazon researchers concluded that their method, which outperforms GPT-3.5 on the ScienceQA benchmark, has potential for further improvement in future studies. They plan to leverage more effective visual features, infuse common sense information, and apply filtering processes to enhance their CoT reasoning.
Planning to study abroad in Europe but worried about the cost of tuition and living expenses? Some European countries offer free or discounted education for international students, with affordable living costs.
Germany remains the most popular choice for Indian students, with a total of 34,864 enrolled in 2022. The country abolished tuition fees in 2014, making higher education degrees free for both domestic and international students. The cost of living in Germany is estimated at €934 (approx. Rs 80,000) per month.
Russia is another affordable option, with 18,039 Indian students present in the country last year. The tuition fee ranges from €2,000 to €5,000 and the cost of living is around €750 (approx. Rs 66,000) per month. International students can work up to 20 hours per week during their studies and have the opportunity to stay in the country for 180 days after graduation to seek employment.
France is a popular choice among Indian students, with 10,003 enrolled in 2022. The cost of a bachelor’s degree is €2,770 (approx. Rs 2.5 lakh) and a master’s degree is approximately €3,770 (approx. Rs 2.5 lakh). The cost of living is estimated at €600 to €800 (varies based on individual lifestyle) per month, with international students able to work up to 964 hours per year during their studies and stay in the country for up to one year after graduation to search for employment.
Italy attracts 5,897 Indian students with its scenic beauty and food. The tuition fee for non-EU residents ranges from €500 to €5,000 and the cost of living is estimated at €700 (approx. Rs 60,000) per month. International students can work for 20 hours per week during their studies and have the opportunity to stay in the country for employment searches after completing a PhD or level 2 master’s program in Italy.
Poland, a popular destination among Indian medical students, had 5,000 students enrolled in 2022. The country offers courses at a range of €2,000 to €6,000 (approx. Rs 1.76- 5.30 lakh) and international students can work 20 hours per week during their studies and 40 hours per week during holidays. They can stay in the country for up to 9 months after graduation to seek employment, with the average cost of living estimated at €400 to €600 per month.
European Nations providing FREE education
Czech Republic: With a rich history and stunning architecture, the Czech Republic offers tuition-free education for degrees taught in Czech. However, for English or other foreign language taught degrees, the tuition fee can range from €0 to €18,500 per academic year. Living expenses can be up to €650 per month, but this can vary based on a student’s lifestyle and budgeting habits. To be eligible to work while studying, students must be enrolled in a degree program accredited by the Ministry of Education, and they can work for up to 30 days in a calendar year. After graduation, students can apply for a 9-month post-study residence permit to search for employment. The Czech Republic also has a significant Indian student population, with nearly 1500 students in the country as of 2022.
Finland: With a student population of 519 Indians, Finland offers affordable education, with free education for degrees taught in Finnish or Swedish. However, for non-EU students and those studying English-taught degrees, the tuition fee ranges from €4,000 to €18,000. To meet their cost of living, which can range from €700 to €1,300, international students can work up to 30 hours per week during their studies. After graduation, students are eligible for a two-year post-study work visa.
Iceland: With only 16 Indian students in 2022, Iceland offers a unique and affordable study destination, known for its natural beauty and minimal to free cost of education. The majority of the population is fluent in Icelandic and English, and most higher education courses are taught in English at universities. During their studies, international students can work up to 15 hours per week, and after graduation, they can apply for a six-month work visa to search for employment.
Get ready to keep your kids occupied in April as they might have extended time off from school. Due to 2023 school holidays and the addition of UAE public holidays, children are expected to have only 10 school days in April.
Schools are expected to take a break from Monday, March 27th and reopen on Thursday, April 13th for spring break. Then, the Eid al Fitr holiday is expected to fall on April 20th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd (dates dependent on the moon sighting). This will result in kids attending school for only five days before the holiday. After Eid, they will be back in school from Monday, April 24th to Friday, April 28th.
According to the UAE government website, the spring break schedule has been confirmed, but the confirmed dates for Eid will be announced closer to the time.
The highly anticipated Al Warraqeen Festival, the eighth edition of Sharjah’s popular used book festival, has officially begun and will run until February 4. The festival offers books for sale ranging in price from Dh1 to Dh20, attracting crowds of students and book lovers on its opening day.
In addition to book sales, the festival features a range of activities and artistic events, including exhibitions of paintings by people with determination, workshops hosted by participating institutions, theatrical performances by Sharjah Mayem and Falaj Theatre, Al Hakawati Theatre, and Al Nashia Theatre, and musical performances by the Art Centre for All–Falaj.
The festival also includes sessions on simplified reading aimed at children with learning difficulties or determination. Sixteen volunteers from the Ray Al Khair Convoy in Egypt are participating in various festival activities. According to Muhammad Bakr, supervisor of the Art for All–Falaj, affiliated with SCHS, the festival provides a unique opportunity for cultural exchange and education.
The use of Emirates Standardized Tests (EmSAT) as a requirement for university admissions in the UAE has been changed, according to an announcement made by the Ministry of Education. EmSAT results are now optional and higher education institutions have the flexibility to use other assessments and determine minimum scores.
This change will take effect starting from the 2023-2024 academic year and institutions are expected to maintain academic standards. The purpose of this decision is to provide students with more freedom to choose a university major that aligns with their interests, skills, and abilities.
Previously, EmSAT scores were necessary for university admission in the UAE. EmSAT is a nationwide, computer-based testing system used to evaluate graduates from both public and private schools within and outside the country.
42 Abu Dhabi, a coding school in Abu Dhabi, is inviting candidates to register for its Piscine boot camp starting in February 2023. The school uses a gamified, peer-to-peer learning approach and offers a tuition-free coding program. To apply, candidates must complete an online assessment, attend a virtual session, and commit to 25 days of intense training during the Piscine. This final stage tests coding skills, drive, and perseverance, preparing students for the fundamentals of programming. No previous coding experience or academic qualifications are necessary, but candidates must be 18 or older and able to adapt and collaborate.
The Piscine offers a unique opportunity for coding enthusiasts to immerse themselves in the world of coding and pursue their passion. According to Marcos Muller Habig, the Acting CEO of 42 Abu Dhabi, the school is dedicated to empowering candidates and contributing to the Emirate’s digital transformation.
According to a source, Sony is reportedly preparing to unveil a new console, the PS5 Pro, which is said to have a new design and may be released in the near future.
According to an anonymous source cited by Abhishek Yadav, a known insider, Sony may be planning to release a new PS5 Pro model as early as April 2023, approximately 2.5 years after the launch of the current model. The source claims that this will be a Pro version rather than a Slim variant, and that it may feature improved performance and a new chip from AMD. However, at this time, it is unclear what level of power the new console will have.
According to the source, the primary innovation of the PS5 Pro version would be in the cooling system, in addition to improved performance. The current PS5 uses a fan and liquid metal compound for cooling which has been causing some issues. The new version is rumored to use liquid cooling, similar to that found in gaming PCs, which could improve heat management and prevent the console from overheating if the chip is more powerful. However, it’s not clear if this change in cooling will also result in a design change.
