UAE believes in its youth’s talent: Education minister

Hussain Al Hammadi, the Minister of Education said the UAE leadership relies on talented youth to carry the torch and add landmark accomplishments across all sectors, building on the country’s already illustrious track record, which most recently culminated in the Hope Probe reaching Mars in a project led by the youth.

During a session titled New Ways of Learning at the Mohamed Bin Zayed Majlis for Future Generations which took place on Sunday, Al Hammadi explained that “education in the UAE is an integrated system operating along several national strategies such as the National Innovation Strategy, the UAE Strategy for Artificial Intelligence, the UAE Strategy for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and the UAE Strategy for the Future. It begins from early childhood and continues all the way through university education and past graduation when lifelong learning begins.”

“The education system in the UAE is constantly undergoing sweeping developments and upgrades, particularly in terms of programming, analysis, and data,” said Al Hammadi adding that design and technology are taught in the early stages of education, that the curriculum is constantly being updated, and that the ministry had recently announced advanced standards for the sector.

“For students to be knowledgeable of programming, analysis, and data, they must go beyond just familiarising themselves with the subject and strive to master and embed it in real projects,” he noted.

“With that in mind, the UAE education system began exploring ways to enable students to carry out their projects – be that individually or in collaboration with their peers. Moreover, students were given the opportunity to showcase their completed projects to ministries, government entities, and private companies who offered them solutions and ideas.”

“The Ministry of Education has worked to standardise the ‘Entrepreneurship and Innovation’ course across all universities in the UAE. We established centres for innovation and entrepreneurship for students in universities, which enjoyed great support from various government entities,” Al Hammadi revealed.

The minister pointed out that the country is always looking to the future and that all segments of the community must follow suit, especially the youth, in order to fulfil UAE Vision 2071 and establish a robust knowledge economy that is rooted in innovation, as well as the production and application of knowledge.

Al Hammadi asserted that he has all confidence in the youth’s creativity, innovation, and ability to drive this shift towards the knowledge economy in the UAE.

The minister urged students to choose specialisations they are passionate about, which would allow them to be innovative in the sector they choose.

The session chaired by Mohamed Khalifa Al Nuaimi, Director of the Education Affairs Office at the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Court, explored the rapidly evolving skillsets that will be required in the 21st century, which will compel Emirati youth to embrace lifelong learning and master entrepreneurial skills in order to adapt to change, communicate more effectively, boost critical thinking, and excel at teamwork.

ismail@khaleejtimes.com

Ismail Sebugwaawo

A professional journalist originating from Kampala, Uganda, Ismail is a happy father with strong attachment to family and great values for humanity. He has practiced journalism in UAE for the past 13 years, covering the country's parliament (FNC) and crimes, including Abu Dhabi Police, public prosecution and courts. He also reports about important issues in education, public health and the environment, with a keen interest in human interest stories. When out of reporting duties, he serves the Ugandan community in Abu Dhabi as he wants to see his countrymen happy. Exercising and reading are part of his free time.