I have the pleasure to join you at this Third Annual Education Conference entitled “Information Technology and the Future of Education in the United Arab Emirates,” and I thank my brothers in the United Arab Emirates for giving me the opportunity. For me, it is not so much an opportunity to present an ideal Jordanian model as it is an opportunity that allows for the exchange of Arab and regional educational experiences, in particular smart education. I am sure that the conference's recommendations will provide a broader horizon for educational systems seeking progress in those areas addressed by the conference.

Education is of great importance and is why developed countries consider it the top national priority and the focus of support and attention. Governments continue to support, finance, professionalize and computerize education and employ technology in education to attain the pedagogical goals that meet the needs of learners and cope with the requirements of a millennium in which technology has become a means rather than an end—a means to reduce time and effort, rationalize spending, and achieve the best educational output based on the transformation from memorization to intellectualization, and from individual to collective work. This is done through continuing education, game-based education, education by projects, and other strategies.