A new satellite television channel called SAT 7 Academy launched on 1 September.
Broadcasting round-the-clock in Arabic, the channel offers millions of displaced or refugee children complementary learning opportunities through a variety of television programmes.
Support and creativity
It seeks to provide a distinctive range of holistic programmes that will address this education crisis. The channel will not only aim to supply academic, emotional and psychological support for children – who are either out of school or need supplementary schooling – its content is designed to help parents better raise their children and to equip teachers with creative teaching methods.
The schedule includes: Your Doctor – a short medical education segment providing a range of self-care information on first aid, emergency health care and lifestyle matters; Storytelling Club – a social impact workshop for children dealing with trauma; and With Smyrna – a programme presented by a family counsellor that provides practical parenting as well as dealing with trauma and emotional issues.
Popular educational shows, like the on-air school programme My School, currently being broadcast on SAT-7 KIDS will move to the new channel. My School is teaching subjects such as Maths, English, Arabic, Science, from pre-school to early primary years. The programme has achieved broad viewership with an audience of at least 1.3 million people – with the majority watching daily and others at least once a week.
An online e-learning centre is also being launched. Viewers will be able to log on via laptops, tablets and mobile phones to customised profiles with courses available at their fingertips.
War has forced 13 million children out of school across the Middle East and North Africa. Schools that have not been destroyed are overcrowded, and the fear of violence has caused parents to keep their children at home and teachers to abandon their posts.
