UAE teachers, schools receive 'Oscars' for education excellence

Dubai - 21 awards were given to schools, teachers and industry leaders in recognition of their excellence in education.

It was a night that can be likened to the Oscars. People came in their fancy gowns and dapper suits as winners were announced and plaques were handed with rousing themes and Hollywood verve at SchoolsCompared.com's Top Schools Awards 2019 on Thursday.
Organised by education-ranking online portal SchoolsCompared.com, a total of 21 awards were given to schools, teachers and industry leaders in recognition of their excellence in education.
"We aimed, rather ambitiously, to build the Oscars of the education sector with these awards," said David Westley, general manager and co-founder of Which Media.
Dr Abdulla Al Karam, chairman of the board of directors and director-general of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), was cited for his outstanding contribution to UAE education.
"The UAE is home to one of the world's largest markets for private education, with 580 independent schools, educating 793,295 students, based on the latest data from the Ministry of Education. Dr Al Karam has been instrumental in leading that growth, with Dubai alone now home to 209 private schools, educating 289,195 students," said James Mullan, co-founder and managing director of Which Media FZ LLC.
The School Principal of the Year award went to Sasha Crabb from Victory Heights.
One of the judges for the competition cited Crabb as "truly inspirational as a leader, an educator and a woman who cracked the glass ceiling and climbed right through it without a backward glance."
Crabb, for her part, thanked her colleagues and the parents for their collective effort. "We have done nothing really special. We just followed our guts and passion for what we think is best for our students," she said.
The British School of Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi went home with two awards:
British School of the Year and Best Post-16 Education while Raha International School (Abu Dhabi) grabbed the International Baccalaureate School of the Year award.
American School of Dubai bagged the award for the Best American School while Gems Modern Academy went home with Indian Curriculum School of the Year trophy.
The Arabic Blended Curriculum School of the Year, an award for school that blends Emirati and Western culture, went to Sheikh Zayed Private Academy for Boys while the International Baccalaureate Blended Curriculum School of the Year prize went to Jumeirah English Speaking School - Arabian Ranches
Organisers said they received a total of 170 nominations.
angel@khaleejtimes.com