The e-learning revolution has officially arrived in Saudi Arabia. Nafisa Shams Academy for Arts and Crafts, supported by Community Jameel Saudi Foundation, has recently launched an online e-learning platform to expand its offerings and provide remote training to a broader audience with more flexible schedules. This step is a milestone for the Academy as it has obtained accreditation from the National eLearning Center, the regulatory body for certifying e-learning institutions and programs in the country.
This initiative is part of Nafisa Shams Academy’s strategy of empowering Saudi women in the arts and crafts, as well as aligning with Vision 2030’s goals of strengthening women’s participation in the labour market, developing the youth’s skills, and matching academic outputs with the labour market needs.
The Director of Nafisa Shams Academy, Dr May Taibah, expressed her excitement about the launch: “At Nafisa Shams Academy, we strive to harness the latest technology trends to facilitate access to our training services. In line with the continuous change in customers’ behaviours and preferences, we launched a digital transformation strategy leveraging advanced technology solutions to provide our trainees with more educational and training opportunities. We are pleased today to launch Nafisa Shams Academy’s online portal, and we are proud of the accreditation from the Kingdom’s National eLearning Center, which confirms our readiness to provide online training by the national standards.”
Najlaa Yousef Safdar, Digital Development Manager of Nafisa Shams Academy, highlighted the importance of meeting the seven required standards of the regulatory authorities while designing the online platform, which cover leadership, technology, qualification and support, design, engagement, justice, and accessibility.
Nafisa Shams is an organization that provides a comprehensive empowering ecosystem that enables women to contribute to Saudi’s economic and social development. It includes an academy and a company specializing in traditional arts and crafts training and manufacturing. The company aims to develop the handmade products industry and decrease the dependency on imported products, especially gifts and souvenirs.
The launch of Nafisa Shams Academy’s online platform is a great example of how edtech can be used to empower and educate Saudi women in the arts and crafts. This initiative is a great example of how technology can be leveraged to provide quality education to a broader audience, and it is a promising step towards embracing the e-learning revolution in the country.
