Dina Johnny (Dubai)
During the presidency of the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, may his soul rest in peace, the education sector witnessed a qualitative development in the structure and policies of the country, with which the sector achieved a remarkable improvement at the local level and in the field of international competitiveness.
Through his directives, for the first time since the founding of the UAE, the educational system was unified between the Ministry of Education and the Abu Dhabi Education Council for the 2017-2018 academic year, in order to meet the requirements of the national agenda and achieve the UAE Vision 2021 by focusing on developing a high-level educational system.
The announcement of the unification of the educational system at the state level constitutes an exceptional start to popularize the “Emirati School” model at the state level, which aims to provide a pioneering model of education with its curricula, skills of its students, paths and methods of assessment, and the establishment of an educational system in Emirati schools characterized by a high level that is in line with the vision and belief of our wise leadership. It is firmly established that its students are the most important resource among the state’s resources, and they have the right to obtain a modern, international education that keeps pace with the UAE’s ambition and future plans.
Among the initiatives of the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, which made a difference in the educational field and among cadres, students and parents, was the establishment of the Khalifa Education Award in 2007 with the aim of supporting education, the educational field, motivating the distinguished and creative educational practices. The initiative aims to highlight educators and successful scientific practices locally, regionally and Arably. The award administration was keen to reach a prominent position in the ranks of educational awards inside and outside the country, with the aim of liberating the latent energies of educators, by creating a competitive atmosphere that upgrades the capabilities of educators in the educational field that leads them to release their stored energies that represent the best of their knowledge and educational skills in accordance with the standards of the award Educational successor.
May God rest his soul also directed that 2016 be the year of reading, in his belief that changing the path of development towards a knowledge economy based on science, technology and innovation requires the upbringing of a generation of readers who are aware, keep pace with the developments of the world around them, and are familiar with the best ideas and the latest theories.
This initiative turned into the month of reading in March of each year, during which the Ministry of Education and the Emirates Education Foundation organize several initiatives through which they motivate students to turn reading into a daily habit.
Among the objectives of the “Reading Month” is to contribute effectively to preserving the country’s cultural, intellectual and cognitive achievements, building a civilized model in the field of reading and knowledge, urging and motivating all members of the UAE society to practice reading as part of their daily activities, and actively participating in consolidating the culture of reading as an authentic daily habit. As well as contributing to the creation and innovation of new and distinct initiatives, to revive interest in reading and its concepts, and to restore its position and capabilities among members of the UAE community.
“Aqdar” and “Safe School”
The Khalifa Student Empowerment Program launched the “Aqdar” initiative, to enhance reading skills, to serve the year of reading, and the country’s general directives aimed at consolidating its international position in the fields of creativity and innovation.
The program also launched the Digitally Safe School Initiative, which aims to measure the level of digital safety provided in schools. This initiative comes within the framework of the program’s cooperation with strategic partners from the European Union in order to identify the best global practices in the field of digital safety, and to benefit from the experiences accumulated by the countries that are the first to develop the uses of modern technical resources.
The idea of the initiative is for the school to assess itself in the field of digital safety using the assessment system consisting of 21 criteria. After that, the evaluation team from the “Khalifa Empowerment Program – Aqdar” visits the school and discusses the evaluation criteria with citing evidence, and then comes out with the final report that shows the strengths that characterize the school, the appropriate procedures for its sustainability, the aspects that need further development, and recommendations program in order to upgrade it.
internationally
At the international level, and through the humanitarian and charitable initiatives of the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, may God have mercy on him, support was provided for vocational education projects in the countries of the region, health needs related to malnutrition, and the protection and care of children. As well as contributing to the provision of basic infrastructure such as schools and hospitals, to poor and needy communities, in addition to providing 13 honorary fellowships to support education in oncology.
innovation
Under the directives of the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, may God have mercy on him, the Cabinet approved 2015 as the year of innovation, and directed all federal agencies to intensify efforts and review government policies, with the aim of creating an environment conducive to innovation that would bring the UAE to the first places in the world.
This initiative aims to support the efforts of the federal government, attract national skills, increase distinguished research, and enhance efforts to build a national cadre capable of leading the country towards further progress, prosperity, and innovation.
In line with the directives of the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and to achieve the aspirations of the state and the unique vision of its wise leadership in the field of innovation, which has become a top priority for the state, the Ministry of Education sought to activate everything that would advance innovation and leadership in the state by launching innovative and qualitative initiatives to achieve that.
Competitiveness
During the era of the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, may God rest his soul, 4 international references specialized in monitoring international competitiveness awarded the United Arab Emirates the membership of the G20 Club in the education sector, according to the latest versions of global competitiveness reports, which monitored indicators of vital sectors. Which shows the sustainability ability of this sector’s leadership in the second half of the country’s centenary. The list of international references monitored by the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Center and documenting the UAE’s competitiveness in the education sector included the reports of the International Institute for Management Development, the World Economic Forum, the Bertelman Foundation and INSEAD College.
The UAE ranked first in the world in indicators related to the enrollment rate in primary education and in the literacy rate, according to the Gender Gap Report issued by the World Economic Forum. It also ranked first in the movement of higher education students within the country and international students, as documented by the Global Innovation Index issued by INSEAD, and the Legatum Institute, in its report, the Prosperity Index, granted the UAE the first global rank in the completion rate of the primary school.
college scholarships
The Fakhr Al-Watan Office has launched a “Scholarship Program in Higher Education” in public and private universities and colleges at the state level, to be provided to workers in the first line of defense and their children. The program supports the National Fund and the private sector in the country and in coordination with the Ministry of Education. Those qualified under this initiative receive full scholarships, in appreciation of the efforts and sacrifices of their parents and their role in maintaining the health and safety of the community.
higher education strategy
The “National Strategy for Higher Education 2030” was launched as an embodiment of the support of the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, “may God rest his soul”, for the higher education sector and the continuation of development in it to serve the directions and ambitions of the UAE.
The strategy emphasized providing students with technical and practical skills to advance the economy in the public and private sectors, and to graduate generations of specialists and professionals in vital sectors to be a main pillar in building a knowledge-based economy, actively participating in research, entrepreneurship and labor market tracks.
The strategy aims to develop an educational system based on four main pillars, first of which is quality, by supporting higher education institutions to compete globally by applying high-quality accreditation standards, providing incentives for institutions, and qualifying distinguished faculty. Secondly, efficiency through access to higher education institutions with high productivity, a high completion rate for students, and integrated academic programs supported by effective financing mechanisms.
And third, innovation, by developing a stimulating environment for scientific research that qualifies and attracts the best researchers, and provides competitive funding focused on achieving effective research results that contribute to a knowledge economy.
Fourth, harmonization and preparing a generation of graduates qualified to compete in the labor market in both the public and private sectors through building partnerships with the private sector in all stages of higher education, and designing and offering training and programs.
The Ministry of Education focused on developing the smart educational environment to serve 25,000 male and female teachers, more than 300,000 male and female students, and more than 500,000 parents.
The UAE ranked first globally in the number of international students, according to the 2018 Global Talent Competitiveness Index report.
Khalifa University and World Ranking
In 2007, the Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research (KUSTAR) was established by presidential decree to offer a wide range of engineering programs. In the same year, KUSTAR University acquired the Etisalat University College. The Masdar Institute of Science and Technology was also established by presidential decree, as the first graduate-level university based on scientific research and focused on advanced energy and sustainable technologies. However, in 2017, thanks to the insightful vision of the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, may God rest his soul, a decree was issued merging Khalifa University, Masdar Institute and Petroleum Institute under one university called Khalifa University of Science and Technology.
The world rankings of universities proved the correctness of vision and wise decisions. Khalifa University of Science and Technology ranked first in the UAE, and 47th globally, advancing 7 places in the latest classification issued by the Times Higher Education Foundation. It is also ranked as the 28th best university in Asia.
Today, Khalifa University is a research-intensive university with three colleges, three institutes, 20 specialized research centers and 17 departments covering a wide range of disciplines in science, engineering and medicine, and will continue to evolve with the rapidly evolving national goals and needs of the UAE and nurture the innovation ecosystem required for the transformation of the knowledge economy. target in the country.
The ranking of universities with emerging economies is based on the same 13 performance indicators, which the Times Higher Education uses in the classification of global universities for arbitration between educational institutions in the fields of education and research, knowledge transfer and international efforts, and the Times also relied on other weighting criteria in indicating the development priorities for universities of emerging economies. .
#Khalifa #immortal #fingerprints #development #education