Dubai: A leading UAE college has been inspired to add three unique courses to its curriculum that are based on the educational values of a book written by a visionary.
The book, My Vision: The Challenges in the Race for Excellence, co-authored by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice- President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, highlights Shaikh Mohammad’s passion for leadership, determination in life, and love for his people.
The valuable lessons within its pages have become the base for bachelor degrees on visionary leadership, happiness and tolerance, all subjects which are addressed in the book.
Explaining why the American University in the Emirates (AUE) chose to use Shaikh Mohammad’s book as a template, Prof Muthanna G. Abdul Razzaq, president and CEO of AUE, said: “The vision of the leaders in Dubai is always of number one importance to the AUE.
“The main concept of introducing these new courses was to take the book published by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad and to put it into practice, to interpret what is in it by graduating leaders.
“Like Shaikh Mohammad, we want to establish a college of innovative, visionary leadership.
“It will be a big accomplishment for us if we can really achieve what Shaikh Mohammad is aiming at. If we can contribute to achieving his vision and mission, we will be very proud.”
Prof Muthanna said that the book was conceived to help the youth grasp information in a new and better way and bring a new concept to education by using a novel format not found in traditional textbooks and guides.
“We have informed the UAE Minister of Education and will initiate the three courses at the earliest,” he revealed.
“The innovative leadership course will become a compulsory course for all the specialisations.
“What has been established in this country, through the Ministry of Happiness and Ministry of Tolerance, I have brought them here as courses for our students and anyone interested in deeply grasping issues that are certain to be both educational and entertaining,”
Prof Muthanna revealed that he had instructed his faculty members to embrace the courses for leadership, happiness and tolerance and as a reference to making lectures more creative.
“I said that the happiness course should start with the professors,” he said. “If we make the professors smile and be happy it will reflect on the students.
“We are confident and ambitious of achieving what Shaikh Mohammad has written in his book. Because whatever he says in the news or through social media somebody should translate it into practice because this is his aim,” he added.
“There are many tools, many organisations that should put it into practice and I think education or the universities are the best sector that can translate his vision and make the learning process more personal for students and likely to be more engaging and effective.”
