"Deprive children of quality education and you deprive them of the opportunities that can help them break out of the cycle of poverty." – Queen Rania, at the 6th Annual Good Summit
Adamant to change to future of Arab youth, Edraak, a non-profit Massive Open Online Course platform, was launched by the Queen Rania Foundation for Education and Development in mid-2014. Edraak offers free online courses in Arabic, including courses from prestigious international universities such as Harvardx and MITx.
Edraak's mission is to revolutionize delivery and access to education across the region to enable Arab society to reach its full potential.
According to Edraak, progress in the region is hindered by the growing void in critical thinking and lack of problem-solving skills. It aims to address these voids by providing relevant and customized learning content across the region. Additionally, the platform showcases prominent Arab professors and role models by "broadcasting online courses" developed by these experts in a variety of fields such as STEM and entrepreneurship.
At the moment, Edraak courses are not accredited. However, the platform provides Arab learners with learning opportunities that help mold their careers and interests of choice.
In addition to the various universities the platform collaborates with, Edraak also works closely with academics in the region, enabling them to reach new students. This strategy was created to further enhance key development areas in the region by focusing on employability skills, education for citizenship, business and entrepreneurship, education and teaching, and STEM (science, technology, engineer and mathematics) fields.
The platform is not only geared at traditional students, with a belief that lifelong learning that can be used by everyone regardless of their age. This is reflected in its motto, " Education for all who want it. "
With over 37 courses, and more than 340,000 registered learners, Edraak is proving to be a powerful learning platform that is pushing the Arab world toward education reform.