The
Mohamed Bin Zayed (MBZ) Award for the “Best Teacher” has finalized the training
program provided for the distinguished teachers in the Republic of Finland, who
have taken part in the award’s previous edition. The Award had provided them
with a specialized training to develop their skills and enhance their job
performance in the areas of
science, mathematics, early childhood, programming, robotics, education
technologies, and modern learning methods.
The training program falls within the future
vision of the Award, which is to enhance the contents and practices that
contribute to the consolidation of the characteristics of the distinguished
teachers working in the countries participating in the Award. To achieve this,
the teachers who had remarkable participations in the Award had been offered
specialized training to enhances their abilities, skills, and outputs.
A group of leading teachers has been chosen
to attend the training program and specialized workshops and visit various
leading educational facilities in the Republic of Finland. This aims to develop
their skills, enhance their job performance, and highlight their talents and
abilities for innovation and creativity, to employ them in the classrooms. This
will eventually achieve the Award’s objectives and vision of having sustainable
education, in which the teacher is the most important link.
The two-week program aimed to achieve a set
of educational goals, namely to familiarize the participants with the
educational principles used in the Finnish educational system that stimulate
critical thinking and research skills among students, early childhood
education, mathematics education, and the uses of various technological
solutions in education, including programming and robotics.
The program, which included many teachers
from different participating countries, had also provided them with
international knowledge and experiences, as a result of exchanging experiences
of the education systems in their countries during the workshops, as well as
learning about the latest methodologies and technologies that kept pace with
the rapid changes in the 21st century.
The program also included several official
and professional visits to the National Agency for Education, schools,
educational institutions, and public libraries. The program also helped the
participants learn about the theoretical and practical aspects related to the
methodology of teaching small groups, by facilitating the participation of
groups of students in activities and focusing on the use of research skills and
problem-solving methods, to create a supportive environment for students’
active learning.
His Excellency Dr
Ahmad Belhoul Al-Falasi, Minister of Education, General
Supervisor of the Award, stressed that the wise leadership was keen, under the
leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al
Nahyan, President of the UAE, may Allah Preserve him, on celebrating the
accomplishments and contributions of educational cadres. He added that the wise
leadership also sought to highlight their relentless efforts to bring up future
generations and prepare them at the scientific and cognitive levels, according
to the highest global standards.
H.E. said that the award enhanced the
enrichment of the educational process in all areas and established a
comprehensive educational renaissance to motivate
teachers, spread the culture of excellence among educational cadres, and raise
their skills. He added that the educational cadres were role models and
delivered a noble message, to consolidate the advanced educational system that
would supply the labor market with human cadres capable of achieving
comprehensive, sustainable development of the country.
H.E. Al-Falasi explained that the MoE was
keen on upgrading the educational sector, elevating its outcomes, and
dedicating the culture of competitiveness, excellence, and innovation among the
elements of the educational system, according to the best practices. He added
that the teaching cadres are the
basis for sustainable development and upbringing of generations according to
the best educational standards. He said that he was proud of their pivotal role
in building minds, refining souls, and preparing future generations.
His
Excellency Mohammed Al-Nuaimi, Member of the Higher Committee, said
that the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed
Bin Zayed Al Nahyan opened wide horizons for teachers from all the countries
participating in the Award to achieve creativity and excellence, present the best, most important innovative and creative
educational initiatives and practices, and develop a culture of knowledge
competition. He added that this would enhance their pivotal role in qualifying
the future generations. He expressed his appreciation and gratitude for the
unlimited support provided by His Highness to education and teachers to enhance
the quality of education and achieve national accomplishments in various
fields.
H.E. explained that the Award had established its
distinguished position on the regional and Arab arenas, thanks to its vision,
educational and motivational standards, and sustainable goals. He added that it
had a positive and tangible impact on creating a momentum among teachers from
the various participating countries. He said that teachers were role models for
students because of the noble message they delivered and the educational values
they established, which enhanced their empowerment and development of their
future skills. He pointed out that the award established the leading position
of the UAE as a country that adopted scientific and knowledge development,
triggered inspiring initiatives, applied the best plans and methodologies, and
foresaw the future.
For his
part, Dr Hamad Al-Darmaki, Secretary-General
of the Award, thanked His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for his
massive, limitless support for education and teachers. He explained that the
Award was launched in 2017 in response to His Highness’s directives to identify
standards that kept pace with the requirements of the
teachers and global teachers in the 21st century. He added that the Award
motivated and celebrated teachers and gained a prestigious, elevated position
at the Arab and global levels, especially since education represented a
cornerstone of achieve the objectives of the UAE in the next 50 years and
enhance its leadership and global competitiveness, in line with national and
future strategies.
He
added that the Award programs included dispatching the best participants from
all the participating countries to learn from the best training and educational
practices in various countries of the world. He added that a training program
was prepared in cooperation with the University of Helsinki in the Republic of
Finland, comprised of various knowledge and skills, including software and
cognitive skills, behavioral skills, and mathematical skills and international
tests. He said that they had also learned about the leadership skills that a
teacher must possess. He pointed out that several different visits were arranged,
including a visit to a school in the capital, Helsinki, in addition to visits
to museums and research centers.
For their part, a number of
teachers and coordinators taking part in the training program in Finland
expressed their appreciation and gratitude for His Highness Sheikh
Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for his leading initiative that supported them. They
also valued His Highness’s keenness on appreciating their educational role and
motivating them to achieve more excellence while performing their role of building
their students’ capacities and bringing up future generations. They said that
the concept of the Award was unprecedented and that it had a well-established
significance and objectives, which would achieve His Highness’s directives of
supporting teachers, who constituted an important link in the educational
process.
Mohammad Al-Sarhan, the award’s
coordinator in Jordan, stressed that learning about the Finnish experience,
which ranked as one of the best educational systems in the world, would refine
the participants’ experience, allow them to learn from this pioneering
experience in education, and employ it in the educational environment to
enhance learning outcomes and benefit the students in particular.
Ahmed Hussein Al-Malki, from the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the winner of the Award’s third edition in 2020,
explained that the training trip in Finland confirmed His Highness Sheikh
Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s keenness on consolidating the position of
teachers and their great role, by providing them with all the required enablers
that would enhance their abilities.
He added that the
visit was an important opportunity to learn about the best international
practices in Finnish education, in addition to scientific visits and
specialized workshops.
Khadija Rashid Al-Tunaiji described the Finland trip as
achieving many positive aspects that reflected the objectives of the Award, in
addition to other outputs that would have an effective role in the educational
process in the country's schools. She thanked all those who contributed to the
success of the visit, which gave the participants the opportunity to learn
about the best practices in education and various educational axes to upgrade
their expertise and refine their skills.
