Hamdan foundation offers Dh1.4m scholarships to 20 UAE students

Abu Dhabi - They will be joining a master's programme at the UAE University.

Twenty students have been offered scholarships worth a total of Dh1.4 million from the Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Distinguished Academic Performance.

They will be studying at the UAE University (UAEU) for a master’s degree in educational innovation — a programme that costs over Dh70,000 per enrollee. Every year, the Hamdan foundation fully sponsors a minimum of 10 students to join the course, which comes as a result of its collaboration with the UAEU’s College of Education.

The foundation for distinguished academic performance — along with all its programmes — is one of several initiatives through which the legacy of the late Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum lives on. Education had always been close to the heart of the visionary leader, who passed away last Wednesday. Besides shaping the nation's economy as finance minister, he had played a pivotal role in making UAE education world class.

Read: Sheikh Hamdan award winners recall inspiring moments

The Hamdan foundation's scholars are selected from the distinguished students who have previously won one of its prizes, the group said in a statement. Some 30 students have so far joined the programme since its launch in 2019.

Through the Master of Educational Innovation course, the foundation aims to support the efforts of the government to develop the education sector, promote innovation and excellence, encourage scientific research, nurture talent and celebrate top achievers.

“The programme was designed to support distinguished teachers and educational leaders across the UAE, develop teachers and educational leaders’ skills and abilities and supply the educational field with outstanding national force that can contribute to the prosperity and development of the society,” said Dr Jamal Al Muhairi, the Vice-Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Secretary-General of the Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Distinguished Academic Performance.

It does not only focus on helping students acquire new knowledge in teaching and school leadership but also enhances learners’ skills through teamwork, collaborative learning, and linking theory to practice. In addition, the programme provides learners with new frameworks and thinking patterns to nurture innovation and keep pace with developments in education.

The course also allows students to focus on scientific research skills and use them to solve issues and problems that they might face in their workplaces in new and innovative ways, officials said. Arabic is the main language of instruction in this programme.

ismail@khaleejtimes.com

• Abu Dhabi