Dubai: His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, attended on Tuesday night the gala opening of the 25th anniversary celebrations of the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT).
The event, at Rixos Hotel on the Palm, was attended by other shaikhs and senior officials.
In a speech, Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan – Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development and Chancellor of HCT – paid tribute to the founding father of the UAE, Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who established HCT in 1988.
State news agency WAM reported HCT now receives unlimited support from President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Shaikh Nahyan also thanked Shaikh Mohammad for his patronage and follow up of HCT’s activities, as well as his encouragement of male and female students to achieve excellence and to be creative and innovative.
He also thanked Their Highnesses the Supreme Council members and Rulers of the Emirates and General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces for their support to HCT.
Shaikh Nahyan urged the students to adhere to noble human values and to maintain bridges of cultural, social, educational and human interaction and exchange of expertise and knowledge. He described the youth as “the pillars of any society as their potential and creativity bolster the stature of nations and preserve their progress”.
Shaikh Mohammad concluded the gala opening by cutting a specially prepared cake. He also praised Shaikh Nahyan for his sincere and diligent efforts which have led to the HCT’s attainment of scientific and academic excellence in education.
Shaikh Mohammad noted that success is lifelong, while excellence is eternal.
Founded in 1988 by a Federal Decree by Shaikh Zayed, HCT is the largest higher educational institution in the UAE, enjoying a reputation for innovative learning.
Around 20,000 students attend HCT’s 17 men’s and women’s campuses nationwide. Around 60,000 academic certificates have been awarded to its male and female graduates.
The ceremony was also attended by Shaikh Maktoum Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Humaid Bin Mohammad Obaid Al Qutami, Minister of Education, Juma Al Majid, Chairman of Juma Al Majid Centre for Culture and Heritage, and more than 1,000 HCT alumni and students from 70 countries who are taking part in the Education Without Borders conference.
