The fifth edition of
the National Ambassadors Program 2022, launched by the Ministry of Education (MoE)
in July and August, has attracted 90 students from grade nine to 12 from
various government and private schools, who have shown excellence in the program
and annual competitions of the MoE. The students have been dispatched to the
best universities and institutions in the world, to have a world-class training
that broadens their knowledge horizons, develops their capabilities in various
areas, and enables them to learn about the best international, innovative
practices. The students will also be able to be global citizens and have an
effective role in building a knowledge-based community in the UAE.
The tracks of the National
Ambassadors Program are carried out in
line with the plans, strategies, and directions of the UAE, which has devoted
great attention to building and developing the capabilities of qualified, young
human resources of the citizens.
The tracks of the National
Ambassadors Program this year consisted of six training programs, each of them
lasted for two weeks under two main tracks, namely the Innovation Ambassadors Track and
the Future Ambassadors Track. The Innovation Ambassadors Track was the first
program created under the National Ambassadors Program in 2016. It provides
students with the opportunity to attend theoretical and practical training at
world-leading universities in the field of innovation, entrepreneurship,
advanced sciences, technology, and innovative design. The Future Ambassadors
Track, on the other hand, was created in 2017 to allow the students to acquire
the knowledge and skills required in the future labor market in all priority
cognitive areas, such as space sciences and renewable and sustainable energy,
as well as learn about the admission mechanism and majors available in
world-leading universities.
The tracks
of the National Ambassadors Program seek to instill in students the main
concepts, skills, and methodologies of scientific research, cooperation,
teamwork, innovation, creativity, imagination, critical thinking, and problem
solving.
Twenty
students from the National Ambassadors Program have participated in programs related to industry and
automation at Oxford University in London, one of the most prestigious
universities in the world and ranks as the fifth best international university
in 2022. Many heads of states and Nobel Prize laureates have graduated in Oxford
University. The Oxford University training program included diverse topics,
such as creative and innovative design, digital marketing, sustainable
communities and cities, infrastructure, the Internet of Things (IoT),
artificial intelligence (AI), and big data.
The
National University of Singapore also hosted students from the National Ambassadors Program, as part
of a
program on the theoretical and practical aspects of AI techniques and how to
use them to find effective solutions to many issues. The program focused on AI policies
and the role of AI strategies and policies in developing positive solutions and
action plans for important issues in the local and global community.
Fifteen students from the National Ambassadors Program
have joined programs related to design and
creative thinking offered by Trinity College Dublin and University College
Dublin in Ireland. This
training program provided a stimulating environment for the development of
students’ creative and innovative capabilities; preparing them to be
entrepreneurs; generating, putting forward, and discussing their innovative
ideas; conducting market studies and research; designing their ideas into
products, and devising plans for their development and marketing. The products
also take sustainability and the environmental impact into account.
At Kyushu University in Japan, which is known for
conducting innovative scientific research, 10 students from the National Ambassadors Program have
participated in training programs on renewable and
sustainable energy. During the program, the students visited several leading
industrial institutions in the field of energy.
Ten
students from the
National Ambassadors Program have participated in the London International Forum for
Youth and Science. The forum is organized annually at Imperial College in
London; one of the oldest, best British universities that ranks eighth on the
list of the top 100 universities in the world. The forum aims to empower young
people and enhance their knowledge of the latest developments in these areas.
It also enables them to present and constructively discuss various related
issues. The forum program included lectures in basic and technological
sciences.
University
College London hosted 20 students from the National Ambassadors Program in programs related to data
science. They were also given lectures on programming, robotics, cyber
security, IoT, AI, big data, foundations and principles of R&D, methodology
of scientific research, and methods of data collection and analysis.
It is worth mentioning that all
the tracks of the National Ambassadors Program included visits to prestigious
universities, think tanks, institutions, and research centers; cultural
activities; and visits to museums to familiarize the students with the cultures
and history of the hosting countries.
H.E. Dr. Amna Al Dahak
Al Shamsi, Assistant Undersecretary for Activities and Care Sector at the MoE,
said, “Since
its launch, the National Ambassadors Program has succeeded in achieving its
objectives by enhancing students’ knowledge, creativity, innovation,
leadership, and critical thinking skills. The program empowered them with
advanced future skills, polished their personalities, prepared them to be
global citizens, and boosted their educational outcomes, in line with the
highest international standards. The program keeps pace with the rapid and
steady development in teaching and learning technologies to enable the students
to have an active, constructive role in promoting the knowledge economy of the
UAE and enhance its competitiveness.”
H.E. stressed that, “The MoE is working hard to integrate educational
objectives with plans and programs that focus on the foundations of innovation
and leadership. All that is achieved under a comprehensive educational vision
that contributes to building and developing students’ capabilities, discovers
and polishes their talents, informs them of the best international practices,
and directs them to future academic disciplines required by the future labor
market. This will help achieve the next 50 years strategy and elevate the
position of the UAE regionally and globally.”
