UAE vice president and prime minister, and ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has announced the allocation of AED1.5 billion to build the first group of a “new generation” of Emirati schools.
The Dubai ruler has announced the initiative following his recent visit to various educational institutions in Fujairah and Kalbaa in Sharjah, WAM reported.
According to the report, he also launched a plan to transform the Higher Colleges of Technology into economic zones and approved a AED 100-million fund to nurture student projects and support the career development of 65,000 students in the hospitality, retail, oil & gas and logistics sectors.
“Our aim is to introduce a range of new ideas in the next 50 years and foster the development of the new generation, which will accelerate our sustainable economic growth,” Sheikh Al Maktoum said. “The new generation needs to adopt different approaches and tools for the future.
“When people have doubts due to economic volatility, we accelerate development, and when they are afraid of the future, we further raise our commitment to build it. We have created a vision for our nation’s development over the next 50 years,” he added.
During the tour, he revealed features of the new generation of schools including design and robotics labs as well as artificial intelligence facilities. These schools will also be equipped with healthcare and environmental labs along with sports facilities.
The new Fund created to support student projects is in line with the Fifty Year Charter launched by Sheikh Al Maktoum earlier this year.
Sheikh Al Maktoum has also issued directives to create specialised technical academies within colleges that support students who want to change their careers. This will help boost the country’s economy by enabling talented individuals to keep pace with technological developments. The academies will be open to both students and those who want to upgrade their professional skills in line with job market requirements.
Furthemore, the UAE vice president has issued directives to implement fast track programmes in higher education institutes that enable exceptional students to get their graduate degrees in three years.
The Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation said that the visit of Sheikh Al Maktoum to the Fujairah Higher Colleges of Technology reflects his commitment to support the development of education in the UAE and his keenness to directly engage with citizens.
