Alert teachers can prepare a whole nation: Mohammed bin Zayed

Abu Dhabi - "Any material progress that is not based on ethics and virtues carries the seeds of collapse and annihilation and in several cases, history testifies to this fact," Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed said.

The UAE established the foundations and favourable circumstances for excellence in education and in other sectors in a short time, providing a driver for continuous development, thanks to the directives of The President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, said on Wednesday.

"In the post-oil era, the UAE will rely on investment in education because it is the solid foundation and because no strategy or vision for education can succeed without excellent teachers who recognise the importance of their role and who have the ability to carry out this role. Hence, the UAE provides huge support to teachers based on its belief that they are the principal partners in building the present and future of the country," Shaikh Mohammed said in a statement on the occasion of the Qudwa Teachers' Forum, launched today under his patronage.

Noting that real progress cannot be based on material and scientific achievements alone, he said that it needs a solid ethical foundation because civilisations that lacked this foundation have declined and collapsed. "Any material progress that is not based on ethics and virtues carries the seeds of collapse and annihilation and in several cases, history testifies to this fact."

The current changes and shifts taking place in this region makes the role of education even more important, he noted.

"Alert teachers who recognise their great national responsibility can prepare patriotic generations who are protected from the plots of the ignorant, extremist and obscurant forces that seek to poison the minds of our people with their deviant ideology," he added.

Shaikh Mohammed greeted all teachers in the UAE and expressed gratitude for their sincere efforts to promote science and knowledge and carry out the mission of sound and ethical education and preparation the generation for a productive life.

Coinciding with the World Teachers' Day, the forum is being organised by the Ministry of Education and Abu Dhabi Education Council, to honour teachers for their outstanding contributions in developing the educational system and preparing the future generation.

World Teachers' Day reflects a firm belief in the crucial role and value of teachers in the progress of a nation because they carry the torch of human civilisation and advancement, Shaikh Mohammed said.

"Shaikh Khalifa directed the provision of full support to efforts to move to a sustainable knowledge-based society. Preserving the UAE's leading role in various spheres requires high quality and competitive education as a determinant of great weight that is the basis of this world's visions, concepts, convictions and progress, as well as on the sector's ability to generate high-quality outcome," Shaikh Mohammed added.

He highlighted the role of positive competition between students as a pre-requisite for achieving leadership in the UAE's education sector.

Shaikh Mohammed further expressed the hope that education would play a more effective role in contributing towards national development and reach a stage where man is at the centre of all educational plans.