DUBAI, 11th February, 2026 (WAM) — The Digital School, an initiative of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, has launched a strategic education partnership with Canva, a visual design and collaboration platform.

The announcement took place in the presence of Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications and Vice Chairman of the World Governments Summit, and Cliff Obrecht, Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Canva, during the World Governments Summit 2026 in Dubai.

The partnership aims to expand access to AI-powered digital learning tools and provide advanced creative solutions free of charge to learners and educators within The Digital School ecosystem. This initiative will help narrow the digital divide, enable high-quality education at scale and reach more than one million learners worldwide.

Al Olama affirmed that the UAE continues to play a global partnership role in developing scalable education solutions and strengthening international collaboration to build a sustainable future centred on people, education and innovation. He noted that The Digital School initiative represents a globally inspired Emirati model that delivers high-quality education without geographic or economic barriers.

He added that the partnership marks an advanced step in expanding The Digital School’s global impact by leveraging artificial intelligence and creative tools to empower teachers, accelerate youth readiness and transform education from knowledge transfer into skills development and opportunity creation.

Obrecht emphasised that quality education changes lives, especially when the right tools are available to students and teachers. He noted that the partnership helps bring accessible AI-powered learning tools to classrooms at scale, allowing teachers to focus more on supporting students and bringing creativity into the classroom.

Bianca Sibiya, Canva’s South Africa Lead, said that the partnership supports a shift in digital learning across Africa by starting with teachers and administrators. Educators gain essential skills, accreditation and confidence and most importantly regain time, which strengthens ownership and engagement.

Dr. Waleed Al Ali, Secretary-General of The Digital School, highlighted that the partnership reflects the shared commitment of The Digital School and Canva to unlocking human potential through education while positioning creativity, digital skills and innovation as essential foundations for Africa’s youth and the future workforce.

This partnership comes at a time when projections indicate that people under the age of 25 will represent nearly 60 percent of the world’s population by 2030. Africa is the first region to benefit from this initiative, with The Digital School acting as the primary implementation partner for the Canva for Education programme across 15 African countries.

Implementation will take place through existing partnerships with Ministries of Education, supporting national-level delivery, strengthening government efforts to modernise education systems and ensuring equity and inclusivity in access to knowledge.

Africa is considered one of the highest priority regions for achieving sustainable educational impact. Through this partnership, Canva for Education will be provided entirely free of charge to learners and teachers within The Digital School ecosystem, granting access to world-class AI-powered design and collaboration tools that redefine how educational content is created and delivered.

The partnership will also integrate Canva’s advanced technologies and AI-powered education tools directly into The Digital School’s classrooms. This will enable teachers to design engaging and interactive learning experiences, reduce preparation time, improve education quality and enhance student outcomes.

It will further strengthen digital literacy, creativity and communication skills, preparing learners to succeed in modern learning environments and growing digital economies.

In addition, Canva’s tools will integrate with The Digital School’s SkillED Academies initiative to support storytelling design and communication skills aligned with each academy’s focus areas. This will equip young people with practical digital skills linked to employability, entrepreneurship and community impact.

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