Source : WAM
DP World Foundation, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Responsible AI for Social Empowerment and Education (RAISE) have announced a multi-year partnership to expand AI literacy education across private schools in Dubai.
Running through February 2030, the programme aims to build foundational, responsible AI knowledge for students in Grades 6–8 (Years 7–9) while equipping teachers with professional development, tools, and assessments to integrate AI learning into core subjects.
The initiative is projected to reach around 80,500 students and 3,600 teachers in a phased rollout.
In its first phase, the institutions will co-design the programme with educators from selected schools, followed by classroom pilots and teacher training, before expanding across Dubai’s private schools.
Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO, DP World, said, “AI will shape every industry, and every job. Dubai’s long-term competitiveness depends on talent, and that starts in the classroom. Supporting this programme is about giving young people in Dubai the practical skills to understand AI, question it and use it responsibly — and giving teachers the tools and training to bring that learning into everyday lessons at scale.”
Aisha Miran, Director General of KHDA, said, “The collaboration with DP World and MIT RAISE reflects Dubai’s Education 33 vision and the goals of the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33), which place future-ready skills, talent development and innovation at the heart of our growth. By embedding AI literacy across everyday learning, we are preparing students not just to use emerging technologies, but to think critically, act responsibly and contribute confidently to a fast-evolving economy. At the same time, we are supporting teachers with the tools, training and confidence they need to lead learning in an AI-enabled world.”
Professor Cynthia Breazeal, Director, MIT RAISE, said, “MIT RAISE’s mission is to expand access to AI literacy for all learners. This programme builds on what we’ve learned around the world and adapts it to Dubai’s context — supporting responsible practice, building local capacity, and giving students the confidence to engage with AI in meaningful ways.”
The AI literacy curriculum will cover six subjects Math, Science, Computing, Art, English, and Arabic—teaching students how AI functions, how to evaluate outputs, and how to use AI responsibly, enhancing both understanding and classroom learning.
Teachers will receive resources, professional development, guidance, and access to curated, age-appropriate AI tools designed for supervised classroom use, focusing on responsible practice.
The programme features two components:
- AI Literacy for Dubai Private Schools (Grades 6–8 / Years 7–9): a cross-subject programme with curriculum, teacher training, and assessments.
- AI Enrichment for High School Students (FutureBuilders-style): a hybrid school-break programme adapted from MIT’s Future Makers/Builders model, with four weeks online and one week in person, including mentorship, team capstones, and entrepreneurial pitch presentations. Each session serves 40–100 students, providing completion certificates and evaluating learning outcomes.
