The Aqdar World Summit continued its
work for the second day at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre in the
presence of H.E. Jameela Bin Salim Al Muhairi, Minister of State for Public
Education, in addition to a number of officials.
H.E. Jameela Al Muhairi discussed
during the Summit’s main session the principles of morals during the twenty
first century, emphasizing that the vision of H.H Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al
Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme
Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and the launching of the presented moral
education initiative created a stir within the community.
She indicated that those aware of UAE’s history and culture
confirm the presence of moral values within UAE society and that acceptance of
others, coexistence and tolerance are known traits of the UAE society from the
days prior to the formation of its union.
She stressed that the UAE was formed on such principles and with
the scientific, technological and industrial development and the beginning of
the fourth industrial launching, a strategy was made for the State in order to
protect its youth from emerging changes, indicating that such evolution called
for protection of future generations and empowering them with moral values,
stating she was fully aware of the magnitude of challenges facing Emirati
children.
The Minister of State for Public Education stated acquiring
education is connected to the attainment of morals especially since education
has become like a small village with the ease of communication between
individuals from all over the world.
She presented a movie illustrating the affects of moral
education and the need to possess values and ethics and the perception of
students towards it and ways to accept and deal with each other.
Her Excellency posed the question of what it is we really
seek from our children, is it logos or fundamental values learned within the
home, school and community…stressing that we do not want superficiality when
dealing with ethics.
Her Excellency explained the aspects adopted in H.H Sheikh
Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s vision, which included getting to know each
other and empathy, focusing on the empathy aspect which reflects the extent of
love as researches and studies in this field have corroborated the effect of
compassion on children, noting that this is exactly what the State seeks to
achieve through the moral education curricula in its schools.
She mentioned that the ideal application of curriculums at
schools is not just linked to the school itself but requires a shared community
responsibility between the school, family, media, all institutions and the
entire society, stressing the State’s desire to form a positive generation
protected from external risks. Her
Excellency noted that there will be no marks associated with this subject since
results should be apparent on the street and throughout the community.
H.E Jameela Al Muhairi mentioned a quote by H.H Sheikh
Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan “We are betting on the right individual in the
future to bear the great entrusted responsibility of the United Arab Emirates”.
The
Summit’s second day included a session delivered by Dr. Faisal Al Ayaan,
Executive Vice President of Rabdan Academy, who discussed the international
definition of moral education and its role in confronting intellectual
extremism and moral deviation, while Hend Mohamed Husain Al Jawder, Deputy
Director of Al Iman Schools in the Kingdom of Bahrain, presented a session on
the “Role of academic institutions in moral education – Enhancing reading skills
as a model” where she indicated a number of significant initiatives in the
region, most important of which is “Arab Reading Challenge” launched by H.H
Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the
United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai, to encourage students throughout the
Arab world to read.
She
clarified that the challenge aims at strengthening national and regional
identity and the sense of belonging to one Arab nation, it also focuses on
spreading the values of tolerance, moderation and acceptance of others
resulting from the great mental wealth achieved by reading. She pointed out the role of Al Iman Schools
in the Kingdom of Bahrain as an experiment in applying the standards of
challenge on moral education.
Al
Jawder said that with the magnitude of challenges, we find that the
re-education of individuals and building conscience and changing their
directions and convictions needs great efforts as devious
We
find that the re-education of man and the building of conscience and change of
direction and convictions needs great efforts since rectification of deviant
behavior and orientation of people is possible when individuals, institutions
and governments have the will to create a moral uprising.
Mohammad
Khalifa Al Nuaimi, Director of Education Affairs at Crown Prince Court,
discussed moral education as a global strategy to confront intellectual
extremism and moral deviation, stating that during July 2016 and in
implementation of the directives of H.H Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan,
the Crown Prince Court launched the moral education program as a subject within
academic curricula to strengthen the values of tolerance and instill joint
international values and principles between humans in line with the State’s
vision in creating a sustainable community centered on happiness, health and
social prosperity for its citizens.
He
said that with the increasingly progressing economy based on knowledge
He
said that in a growing knowledge-based economy and an increasingly
interdependent world, the need for a holistic approach towards education
becomes apparent, explaining that the program encourages youth to discover the
major questions in their daily lives by benefiting from shared cultural values
between the diversity of nationalities living in the UAE.
He
provided a summary of the subject and its contents and the most important
learning aspects covering security, tolerance, peace and coexistence in the
moral education program, stressing that violent extremism and the forces behind
extremism are among the most widespread and popular challenges of our time, and
although violent extremism and moral deviation is not limited to a certain age,
gender, group or community, still youth are those most at risk.
He
added that the moral education curriculum instills positive messages around a
set of shared human values in order to create a learning environment that
enhances productivity and the feeling of safety between student, as well as
encourage critical thinking in students regarding current circumstances and
posing questions related thereto to reach a new and creative approach in
solving matters on an individual, class, school, local community, country and
international level, and to find ways to take peaceful and constructive action
to express solidarity with others.
The
Director Education Affairs at Crown Prince Court clarified the cultural
diversity is considered an effective element in the moral education curriculum
whereas the curriculum focuses on the intrinsic value of diversity that arises
from the recognition of international human rights and the fundamental freedom
of others, and thus, respect for diversity becomes an ethical duty inherent in
respect for human dignity.
He
explained that the curriculum seeks to promote a culture of non-violence and
non-discrimination and establish the sense of respect and tolerance and to
stress upon the importance of respecting rights and responsibilities
irrespective of nationality, sex, origin, religion, language or other
considerations, and these conceptions emphasize the need to respect the rights of
others.
Al-Nuaimi
stated that in the UAE, the progress made is being monitored and evaluated
step-by-step and we will be reporting on this as widely as possible, expressing
their hopes that their initiatives will provide lessons for others to benefit
from their experience and learn from the posed challenges.
Dr.
Faisal Al Bakeri, Advisor to the UAE Minister of Education, delivered the fourth
session related to the “role of moral education to prevent religious
exploitation serving the intellectual extremism and moral deviation – UAE
schools and their promotion of tolerance values.
