During a session with the participation of the Minister of Education and academic leaders
“Khalifa Award”: Education is a priority, and it tops the UAE’s agenda for the next fifty years
H. E Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al-Falasi: The development of education is a fundamental pillar for building a person and the renaissance of the country
Amal Al-Afifi: On the Day of the Union, we promise the nation and the leader to redouble our efforts and giving
Suad Al-Suwaidi: Excellence is Khalifa’s message in the advancement of the educational field
Saeed Musabah Al-Kaabi: Education is a melting pot that melts the people of the Union into one fabric
Abdullah Al-Humaidan: The UAE is a pioneer in caring for and integrating people of determination since the start of the union process
Faisal Al-Ayyan: A pioneering role for the Higher Colleges of Technology in providing the country with cadres specialized in applied education
Shaimaa Al-Mansoori: Nuclear energy opens prospects for the fellow citizens to engage in this vital specialization
Abu Dhabi: November 29, 2022
The General Secretariat of the Khalifa Award for Education affirmed that education tops the agenda of the priorities of the United Arab Emirates and its vision for the next fifty, pointing out that His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, may God protect him, gives this sector great care, as does our wise government headed by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, may God protect him, paid great attention to the development of this sector, which represents a strategic pillar for the nation’s renaissance and progress since the inception of the march of the Union State.
This came during the session organized remotely by the General Secretariat of the Khalifa Award for Education on the 51st Union Day, titled “Education First”, in which His Excellency Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of Education, delivered the opening speech in the presence of Amal Al Afifi, Secretary – General of the Award. Speaking guests were Dr. Saeed Musabah Al Kaabi, Member of the Executive Council of the Emirate of Sharjah and Chairman of the Sharjah Education Council, Abdullah Al-Humaidan, Secretary-General of the Zayed Higher Organization for People of Determination, Dr. Faisal Al-Ayyan, Director of the Higher Colleges of Technology Complex, and Shaima Al-Mansoori, Director of Training, Development and Research at the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation. The symposium was moderated by Dr. Suad Al-Suwaidi, Deputy Secretary-General of the Khalifa Award for Education, and was attended by several educational and academic leaders.
At the beginning of the session, Amal Al-Afifi welcomed the attendees, stressing the importance of this occasion, in which we remember with pride the pioneering role of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, “may God rest his soul,” and his founding brothers who established the state of renaissance, progress and prosperity, and on this day we raise the highest verses of loyalty And gratitude to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, “may God protect him,” covenants with God, the homeland, and the President of the State for doubling the effort and excellence for the sake of the nation’s elevation and raising its flag high, and n National Day, we renew the determination and strong will to remain behind our oath, the house is united, doubling the effort And giving in the service of national development, and the advancement of all its fields, especially education, which represents a fundamental pillar for the renaissance of the country in the next fifty years.
For her part, Dr. Suad Al-Suwaidi stressed the importance of this session, which highlights the role of education in advancing the union’s march during the past fifty years, as education was one of the main pillars of national development in the past five decades, and today education represents a pillar for the nation’s renaissance and the continuation of its prosperous path in the next fifty years. Emphasizing that the Khalifa Award for Education, which organizes this symposium, sheds light on the role of excellence, which is its main mission in launching the educational field to global horizons.
His Excellency Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi opened the session with a keynote speech in which he said:
” I greet you all, and I seize this opportunity, to congratulate the wise leadership and the people of the UAE on their 51st National Day. The UAE has achieved unprecedented progress, strength, elevation and development, and I am pleased to extend my sincere thanks to all those in charge of the Khalifa Award for Education, for organizing this event, so that we can celebrate together this occasion by reading between the lines about the reality of education in the UAE, and what is hoped for in the future to achieve a renaissance by knowledge, and its soldiers are our students, who are distinguished in terms of knowledge, morals, and motivation towards achievement.”
Al Falasi elaborated, “We meet today to shed light on the role of education in shaping the past, present, and future of our beloved country. This file carries within it our grief, as it is closely related to the dearest men, the father and builder of the UAE renaissance, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may God mercy his soul, the patron of education and learners.”
“The best investment of money is to invest it in creating generations of educated and intellectuals. We have to race against time, and our steps towards acquiring knowledge and acquiring knowledge are faster than our mistakes in any other field.”
Al Falasi explains, “This was the call of our father, the leader and founder, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan, may God rest his soul, who was firmly convinced that a prosperous future is the foundation of education, and a starting point towards comprehensive development, by building knowledgeable, educated and cultured generations, to achieve the guarantee of the sustainability of achievements, And to enhance the leadership of the UAE and its position on the world map in terms of competitiveness and knowledge, human and economic progress.”
This progressive idea was not on the spur of the moment, but was accompanied by the beginnings of the founding of the UAE Federation, to later form a national work methodology for which potentials and resources were harnessed, and for the real capital to be the citizen and to invest in it optimally, and to build competencies and scientific talents to enhance the leadership of the Emirates at various levels. .
Education being the UAE’s the main concern of the leadership is an actual established fact, and the focus of attention, and the follower of the path of education development notices the qualitative and major shift in the education sector during a record period of time, which made the country lead in global indicators in education, especially the higher education sector, and this is a result It is imperative for the leadership’s confident vision and foreseeing the future, coupled with proper planning and good implementation.
The education system in the UAE focuses on devoting innovation and creativity, and includes 21st century skills among its objectives, in order to build a generation that has personal, knowledge and skill characteristics that enhance its presence in the future at the professional level, in order to meet our national needs in various sectors, in addition to its ability to compete globally.
Education has contributed to accelerating the pace of the achievements achieved by the people of the country, through the implementation of serious development work paths that have taken a great deal of attention and work within the UAE government, and the next fifty years bear in their details many visions, indicators, and agenda, in which the education file is on the list of priorities.
Education has helped, in accordance with the orientations and development plans, and the future needs of the state, in graduating national competencies with an elevated level of skills and knowledge capabilities, and attention has been focused on specific strategic sectors, such as the industrial sector, engineering, medicine, agriculture, food security, entrepreneurship, information technology, and other disciplines. Quality, to provide graduates who can join the labor market directly.
The education sector in the UAE has also paid attention to enhancing reading and writing skills, applying various knowledge, focusing on mastering the skill of critical thinking on various critical issues, communicating their ideas and their findings, and participating in problem-solving, in a comprehensive sense that enables them to move confidently towards a strong and diversified knowledge economy. By mastering a set of skills that have been agreed to be called the skills of the twenty-first century, such as teamwork, problem-solving, critical thinking, decision-making, independent research, communication, and the use of information and communication technology.
Today, we have a pioneering educational and academic system, and there is magnificent work ahead of us by employing the capabilities to match the outputs of the higher education sector with the requirements of the labor market and raise the quality of the outputs of the educational system.
The education sector in the UAE, thanks to the support of the wise leadership, has been able to make many strides in this regard, and we need more work and planning in order to improve and keep pace with global trends in the education sector, especially since the national trend is to build a sustainable knowledge economy society, based on Achieving an educational system of high quality, and we in the UAE look forward to the country being a center for the production and export of knowledge, and not just an importer of it, so we still have a long way to go.
When we address the future of education more precisely, we emphasize a set of important evidence, which is that the UAE is characterized by proactivity and a forward-looking view of the future. This vision is made as a guiding path and a working style throughout all the vital sectors. Afterall, excellent educations are the areas of sustainability, preserving achievements, and the transition to a sustainable knowledge economy society is what UAE centennial 2071 is all about.
We are the ones who make the future, and this requires that attention and focus on future vital disciplines, such as science and advanced technology, space science, engineering, innovation, health sciences, and others, in addition to discovering and identifying individual talents of students at an early age, and establishing centers for entrepreneurship, innovation and research centers cutting edge.
It is our responsibility to present the appropriate vision of how human learning can continue to ensure growth, prosperity, social progress, and an overall quality of life in the future, as the curricula must develop and refine our capabilities to interact and engage with knowledge.
We need to redesign our curricula to link the cognitive domain with critical thinking skills, innovation and creativity, as well as integrate the development of social and emotional learning and learning about the self, and focus on ensuring that curricular priorities support inclusion, equality and human rights.
It entails building competencies and abilities that make students independent thinkers, and this means promoting a ‘whole child’ approach to education that focuses on providing students with a wide range of cognitive and non-cognitive skills.
Education will witness radical transformations, and as examples of the main aspects and features of education systems in the future, is that education will be without borders, and that learning will become a basic human activity that is not bound by space and time.
Just as the educational institutions of tomorrow will become learning centers along with the “learning from everywhere” approach, the institutional settings in which learning takes place need to continue to evolve into centers of learning, and the Fifty Global Opportunities report issued by the Dubai Future Foundation confirms this idea.
We must expand our horizons and vision to include all spaces and times of life, as we offer many educational sites and opportunities that enable us to imagine new educational spaces and empower schools and institutions of higher education.
During the session, Dr. Saeed Musabah Al-Kaabi touched on the role of education in consolidating the union’s march, saying: The UAE, under the directives of the wise leadership, has placed education at the top of its priorities, and has taken it as a basis for achieving its comprehensive development renaissance and harnessed the capabilities and resources to establish schools in various cities and regions of the country, believing that education It is the way to strengthen the union and develop its gains.
That is why the founding fathers, led by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan, may God rest his soul, took the initiative to build a thriving educational system, which was based on clear visions in preparing generations linked to the homeland with loyalty and belonging, and working to build and prosper it and achieve more achievements for the Union State in all fields.
And with that educational renaissance that has been achieved since the time of the founding fathers until today, all educational institutions have worked to continue their roles within the approach of leadership to achieve a qualitative leap in education, and the Sharjah Education Council, with the support and directives of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, has paid attention Generations and the establishment of Sharjah Education Council nurseries, which take care of children from their early stages and prepare them for the educational stages, in addition to introducing programs that enrich education and organizing the Sharjah Award for Educational Excellence for its courses in motivating and honoring creators.
Abdullah Abdul-Aali Al-Humaidan addressed the most prominent achievements of the Foundation in the fields of education and social integration for people of determination, including the issuance and approval of the first classification of disabilities in the country that includes defining categories of people of determination and the path of services for each category, and building a comprehensive registry for people of determination with the aim of limiting their numbers and facilitating planning and access to them by various service agencies. Building an electronic system for monitoring and early detection from the moment of birth, building the necessary measures and tools for diagnosing disability, the most prominent of which was the preparation of the first Emirati adaptive behavior scale in cooperation with the UAE University.
Regarding educating people of determination with developmental disabilities, he stressed that the institution faced the great challenge represented by the lack of curricula for teaching people with intellectual disabilities, autism, and multiple disabilities, by preparing these curricula with internal efforts to suit each category and each level of severity of these disabilities and preparing curricula for vocational rehabilitation. It has been accredited at the national level by the National Center for Qualifications, in addition to preparing curricula for art, music and sports activities that suit each disability category, and providing qualified national teaching staff who are able to teach these curricula through preparing and approving a professional qualification at the intermediate diploma level. The first batch of the program and the second batch will be graduated in less than a year.
Al-Humaidan also explained that the Zayed Higher Organization for People of Determination formulated standards for inclusion and built an effective partnership with the Emirates Foundation for School Education to facilitate and support the process of their integration in regular schools and contributed to increasing and accelerating the pace of integration and increasing the number of integrated students, and specific schools were designated to integrate deaf students and provide teachers and translators. A signal by the Foundation, and he stated that the Zayed Higher Organization has overcome the challenges of university education for deaf students through partnerships with private universities and the Ministry of Education to open majors with the provision of sign language interpreters and full coverage of tuition fees for deaf students.
Regarding the social integration of people of determination, Al-Humaidan affirmed that a number of those who are about to marry them have been trained, families and their caregivers have been trained, and a prescription initiative has been devised to deliver medicines to people of determination in their homes with an explanation of how to take them in sign language for the deaf and Braille for the blind, and many community awareness initiatives have been organized. On how to deal appropriately with people of determination, including the Bridges of Hope initiative, and a number of sensory rooms have been established in major commercial markets for children with autism spectrum disorder, and to support the sports of people of determination and organize regional and international championships for them.
For his part, Dr. Faisal Al-Ayyan spoke during the session about the role of technical education in supporting the national development process, pointing out that the Higher Colleges of Technology, as a higher education institution, is distinguished by applied education in supporting national development, by providing the labor market for more than 34 years with qualitative outputs that have contributed and are still Contribute to development in various sectors, pointing out that the goal of establishing the colleges is to graduate quality cadres to practice specialized and technical professions required for the industrial and vital sectors in the country, and that the colleges, in addition to graduating bachelor’s degree holders from various vital disciplines, attach more importance today to preparing specialized technical cadres. It represents a broad base in the functional hierarchy, and it is the operational segment in labor and industry institutions that drives economic activity.
He stated that the process of preparing students focuses on empowering them with skills to support their readiness to deal flexibly with labor market changes, as well as working closely with various agencies and building partnerships that enhance students’ employment opportunities, including the colleges’ cooperation with the compete or “Nafes” program, the “Health Program” initiative to qualify students In the various disciplines of health sciences to work in the private health sector, pointing to the importance of complementarity with the private sector, which represents an effective and influential economic partner in development, and that the colleges direct their students to perform the practical training period in the private sector, and will work to link the curricula more to this sector. with the aim of promoting and encouraging a culture of work in it.
Dr. Al-Ayyan also noted the role of colleges in supporting economic development by graduating companies through the free creative economic zones, which represent an incubating environment for student projects with creative ideas and work to develop them as startups. Indeed, colleges today graduated startups, and promoted the culture of entrepreneurship in their educational environment. Pointing out that these developments in the role of colleges all contribute to enhancing employment opportunities for students and graduates and enable building national competencies for the future.
During her speech on the authority’s role in attracting students to join the nuclear energy majors, Shaima Al-Mansoori stressed the importance of these specializations, noting that the authority is working to invest in developing employee skills and increasing its workforce to ensure sustainability in the field of nuclear regulation. Therefore, one of the main objectives of the authority is to have Fully qualified personnel, who have the necessary understanding of the facilities, equipment, processes, and program activities that they inspect and license, as well as their awareness of the standards, methods and mechanisms involved in inspection and licensing processes. Accordingly, FANR believes that developing the competence and skills of Emiratis plays a key role for long-term sustainability in the nuclear field. Giving it special importance and priority. The authority is also working on drawing up a plan to train Emiratis and develop a comprehensive understanding of the country’s nuclear regulatory program and drawing up a long-term plan to transfer knowledge and prepare the next generation of nuclear expertise through an advanced knowledge management program in the authority.
Al-Mansoori said: Based on the authority’s vision, I have developed a strategic plan for training and qualifying employees, and accordingly a plan has been approved to train and qualify young men and women through three basic programs based on skills and competencies for each job. The duration of the program is approximately 18 months, during which the training engineer goes through training courses for the nuclear control system, and then field training in the authority’s departments to draw an idea and character of the work method in the authority. The program includes some courses to develop personal skills, and the engineers also work on projects approved by the authority. By the trainers in the authority, and they are evaluated by experts specialized in the field of nuclear security and safety. The authority also worked to enhance its capabilities in the field of research and studies, such as working with the French Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety to enhance our capabilities to estimate and measure radiation in the environment, and we also work with the organization Economic cooperation and development in transferring knowledge about crisis management in nuclear power plants.