9,000 SMART Board® interactive whiteboards and SMART Notebook™ collaborative learning software to be used across Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
CALGARY, Alberta — February 18, 2013 — SMART Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: SMT) (TSX: SMA), a leading provider of collaboration solutions, announces that the Ministry of Education for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has awarded two tenders to SMART for a combined installation of 9,000 SMART Board™ interactive whiteboards and equivalent licenses for SMART Notebook collaborative learning software. Obeikan Education, the authorized SMART distributor in Saudi Arabia, will lead the implementation of SMART education solutions into 6,500 public school classrooms and 2,500 computer labs as part of the Ministry of Education’s vision to transform classrooms into collaborative learning environments that enhance student understanding and boost student achievement.
Over the next three years, the Saudi government plans to equip 50,000 classrooms with interactive whiteboards. With these recent tender wins, SMART is the leading provider of education solutions for the public school system in Saudi Arabia and the tender for 6,500 SMART Board interactive whiteboards is the largest single sale of interactive whiteboards in the Middle East region to date.
As part of the implementation plan, educators will receive professional development and training that aligns with the Ministry of Education’s objectives to enhance pedagogy in ways that lead to increased learning outcomes. Educators will create, deliver and manage interactive lessons using the award-winning SMART Notebook™ collaborative learning software, which has been activated by more than six million teachers around the world to deliver engaging lessons to over 40 million students in 175 countries. Educators will also have access to the SMART Exchange™ online education community, where over one million educators can connect, share and download over 60,000 high-quality digital resources.
“The implementation of SMART Board interactive whiteboards marks the beginning of our journey to transform classrooms with innovative solutions that blend technology with content,” says Dr. Ahmad Dandani, Head of School Infrastructure, Ministry of Education for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. “We have chosen to work with SMART because they are the leading provider of innovative solutions for education.”
“This implementation demonstrates our commitment to working with the Ministry of Education to ensure they have the best education solution to help teachers engage students and improve student outcomes,” says Abdullah Obeikan, Chief Executive Officer, Obeikan Investment Group. “SMART’s education solutions encourage collaboration and lead to increased student understanding.”
“The Ministry of Education for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s plan to equip 50,000 classrooms with interactive whiteboards over the next three years is a significant step forward and it is clear that the government recognizes the importance of transforming education through inspired collaboration,” says Neil Gaydon, President and Chief Executive Officer, SMART Technologies. “This large purchase of SMART products demonstrates two things: that an increasing number of countries are recognizing the importance of collaborative technology in the classrooms and when those countries make decisions about who to choose, they invariably choose SMART.”
About SMART
SMART Technologies Inc. is a leading provider of technology solutions that enable inspired collaboration in schools and workplaces around the world by turning group work into a highly interactive, engaging and productive experience. SMART delivers integrated solutions of hardware, software and services designed for superior performance and ease of use and remains a world leader in interactive displays.