In his speech at the scholarship students’ guidance meeting held recently at Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi Hotel, His Excellency Hussain Al Hammadi, Minister of Education, highlighted the leading national role played by scholarship students abroad, and referred to the importance of reflecting the best image of UAE during their study at the scholarship countries, describing them as ambassadors of the UAE society’s well-established conventions and values.
The meeting was attended by His Excellency Dr. Ahmad Belhoul, Minister of State for Higher Education, His Excellency Mohammed Al-Mualla, MOE Undersecretary for Higher Education Academic Affairs, His Excellency Eng. Abdulrahman Al Hammadi, MOE Undersecretary for Supervision and Support Services, His Excellency Dherar Belhoul Al Falasi, the Director General of Watani Al Emarat Foundation, a plethora of the scholarship students and their families, several government authorities representatives and both the British and US Embassies’ representatives.
His Excellency referred to the scholarship students as being entitled to implement UAE’s ambitious plans in the various fields. He assigned achieving the wise leadership’s aspirations, UAE vision 2021 and centennial plan to the scholarship students, relating to their getting qualified and being sent on scholarships, to acquire the skills and academic aspects upon which they can build the knowledge based economy.
He drew the attendants’ attention to fact that the MOE’s plans adopt specific integrated systems that allow all the relevant parties, including students, to participate effectively in the development of the educational system. This is meant to keep the educational system updated and to learn from leading experiences in this field. He pointed out that it is possible to make use of the experiences that scholarship students have had gone through, and to make use of the skills and forms of knowledge they have learnt through involving them in the “Learn for UAE Initiative”, recently launched by the MOE to transmit these forms of knowledge to school students and prepare them for university.
He ended his speech by confirming the essential role performed by the scholarship students in translating our wise leadership’s vision since they are the leaders of development and change, and wished them good luck and success.
His Excellency Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi praised the efforts made by the scholarship students to meet the high standards and fulfill the strict conditions established by the MOE for admission to the scholarship program this year. The MOE raised its standards for selection of the best students to contribute to building The UAE’s future.
He stated that raising the scholarship standards is justified by The UAE’s approach to achieve sustainable development requirements, and progress towards the broader horizons of the qualification of our national cadres, to be able to steer the wheel of development in the future.
His Excellency confirmed the scholarship students’ need to give care to several important aspects during their scholarship period, enabling them to adapt to their new environment. He advised them to be patient, determined and persistent, referring to the importance of considering the social aspect during their academic career, to be actual ambassadors of The UAE and represent a true picture of the nature and noble civilization of the UAE citizen.
HE Dr. Mohammed Al-Mualla stated that the MOE works on adapting student admission conditions for the scholarship program to the UAE; plans formulated by UAE vision 2021 and Centennial Plan. He called for the students to establish their ambitious goals during their scholarship, to ensure achievement of the scholarship expected objectives.
Al-Mualla said that the scholarship students will proceed with their academic studies in the top 200 universities all over the world, in accordance with the global education rankings, indicating that the MOE is keen on providing high quality higher education that enables students to be competitive and influential actors across the trends of the labor market.
He added that 69% of the scholarship students will be enrolled in engineering, science and medicine, which are academic specializations upon which the knowledge-based economy depends. Furthermore, 58% of the scholarship students will enroll in the top 100 universities in various fields; 30% of them in the top 50 universities in the world.
Dherar Belhoul Al Falasi asserted that UAE scholarship students are effective actors in building the UAE’s bright future. Thus, equipping them with high skills, refining their characters and strengthening their national identity to enable them to represent their country in the best way they can, are merely reflections of the vital roles played by UAE citizens, who have the leading qualities enjoyed by their leaders and are keen on upholding their country’s image and progress.
He also stressed that the participation of Watani Al Emarat Foundation in such prestigious initiatives stemmed from the national institution responsibility, which extends to every UAE citizen inside and outside the state, as a part of the objectives, directions and initiatives led by Watani Al Emarat Foundation. Such objectives, directions and initiatives establish the UAE national identity and promote the values and behaviors of good citizenship.
He advised the scholarship students about self-dependence in such a valuable experience, and self-adaptation with the countries they are sent to, adding that “our leadership believes in positivity and development of individuals as well as society, and makes great effort to keep our youth happy and well-prepared for the various fields.”
The guidance meeting witnessed the participation of the cultural attaché of The USA, The UK and other countries. They organized meetings with the scholarship students and briefed them about the culture of some of their scholarship destinations.
On the sidelines of the meeting, the MOE organized workshops for the students and representatives of the embassies of the scholarship countries, who gave them an overview of the laws and legislations that govern the individuals and their affairs in their countries. The Scholarship Department gave a detailed presentation of the rights and duties of the scholarship students. Student Omar Ansari presented his scholarship experience.
02/08/2017