Jameela Al Muhairi: “Our Ambassadors” Initiative is a learning motivator and an education, innovation, giving and future-based vision
Delegating 411 students and teachers to explore knowledge in the biggest expertise houses
Jameela Al Muhairi, Minister of State for Public Education, stated that “Our Ambassadors” new initiative developed by the Ministry of Education (MOE) involves a new, comprehensive and contemporary educational vision in which the educational objectives integrate with one another. The initiative is based on several factors: innovation, giving and a vision of the future.
Her Excellency gave this speech in the introductory meeting of the initiative program organized by the MOE on the theatre of the American University of Sharjah. The initiative targets students, teachers, relevant parties and students’ families amounting to 411. The meeting was attended by several MOE’s educational officials and supervisors. It aims at introducing the initiative and its objectives and themes and answering the inquiries of the students and their parents.
Her Excellency expressed how proud she is of these numerous excellent students attending the meeting and proving their efficiency on the academic as well as social realms, describing them as the vanguards and the actors of “Our Ambassadors” launched by the MOE.
She said that the MOE adopted a clear and original educational plan which aims at supporting and caring for students and developing their potentials. The educational plan formulated tends to equip the students with the skills required in the 21st century, educating them about the best practices in innovation and pioneering, guiding them to the future specializations demanded in the labor market and encouraging them to take part in the volunteering and giving opportunities available for them.
She added that “Our Ambassadors” initiative is planned to mimic such objectives and develop our students’ interests and talents, increase their knowledge base, relate them to the innovation sources, constituting cognitive developments and entrepreneurship and technology. Furthermore, the initiative provides the students with a chance to gain knowledge and science and share in the voluntary activities and cherish their high values.
Her Excellency stressed the importance of the strategic partnership with parents, which is one of the main drives for the development of education and to produce the effect required in the MOE’s various proceedings, programs and activities to ensure their constant success. MOE seeks to promote and devote best practices and mechanisms to make such effect.
Her Excellency called upon all the relevant parties to the initiative to take advantage of this ideal opportunity to strengthen their skills, gain the best knowledge and be the best ambassadors of the state. The participants in the initiative are expected to transfer and share their rich experiences with their colleagues upon their return, since they are not only learners, but knowledge transmitters.
She revealed that the MOE planned that the initiative program will last for two weeks to allow students the longest time possible to benefit and learn more. She indicated that the innovation and leadership training program presented in the framework of the initiative will include scientific and cultural visits to the leading institutions in this field.
With regard to the second program, “Ambassadors of the Future”, it will constitute the delegation of a group of the excellent students to the leading universities around the world with the purpose of identifying their academic career and future profession as to conform to the state aspirations and the priorities listed by the national innovation strategy.
She said that the third program namely; Ambassadors of the Giving, is directed to the effective students in volunteering and giving. The program targets to enable these students to take part in the humanitarian and voluntary programs and projects abroad. This will, in turn, develop and foster the students’ values of volunteering and giving and will root UAE in the global humanitarian work.
In her speech closing, her Excellency praised the parents’ great role, constant giving and support of their children, saying that such role motivated them to develop and attain the best educational as well as social results, wishing that the initiative be a milestone in their educational life and a pioneering experience by all means.
Amna Al Shamsi: An integrated initiative that seek to provide our students and teachers with the modern skills and sciences
Amna Al Dahak Al Shamsi, Assistant Undersecretary for Activities Sector, gave a presentation which provided information about the number of the delegated students, initiative objectives and subdivisions and the educational results expected.
For more details, Al Shamsi indicated that the students admitted to the "Our Ambassadors" initiative amounted to 339 students out of 665 candidates, while 507 students were interviewed. Of these, 192 students, distributed among 4 destinations, will participate in the Innovation Ambassadors Program. She added that 46 students will be sent to San Francisco, 51 students to Zurich, 44 students to Virginia, and 51 students to the Dutch city of Eindhoven, where students will undergo training programs that address innovation in education, technology, space and renewable energy. Students will face challenges in various fields such as science, technology and graphic design using computer and robot.
She stated that the students admitted to the “Ambassadors of the Future” amount to 98 students, where 53 will travel to the Swiss city of Zurich, while 45 will go to Colorado, USA. They will have academic symposiums and an introductory training program that allows them to identify the main university programs to be prepared to the post-secondary stage.
Al Shamsi mentioned that 49 students were admitted to the “Ambassadors of the Future”; 28 students will be sent to Mauritius and 21 to Zanzibar where they will learn the best global practices in the fields of voluntary, humanitarian and charitable activities through getting involved in the community service programs that include participating in building schools, cultural exchange and humanitarian efforts.
She added that the teachers admitted to the “Teachers Ambassadors Program” amount to 72; 42 teachers will be sent to San Francisco, USA and 30 teachers to the Dutch city of Eindhoven. They will have to face a series of challenges in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. They will attend some training workshops related to the recent technological developments in classrooms such as 3D printing, product designing and giving speech in the public events.
Al Shamsi said that the “Our Ambassadors” which integrates the educational objectives will add value to our students as well as teachers. She added that the initiative aims at creating a contact between our students and the most prominent expertise houses and innovation-related companies, affirming that such constant contact with resources rich in information will reflect positively on their future.
She concluded that MOE’s interest goes beyond learning as it extends to having a behavioral vision concerned with fostering the ethical values such as cooperation, giving, goodness and community service. This is meant to graduate students whose ethical values form a secured gate against a constantly changeable and challenging world.
16/07/2017