Abu Dhabi: Quality education is the key to raising standards of living and ensuring the comfort and success of future generations. To that end, the Khalifa Award for Education today (April 14) honoured 35 individuals and organisations who have worked hard to drive higher standards in the sector within the UAE and the Arab world.
The prestigious awards were handed out to the winners, who included 26 individuals and nine organisations, during a ceremony in the capital.
“The objective of this award is to develop and enhance the educational process and to appreciate the people working in the field of education, locally and in the Arab world. The award also aims to motivate and encourage Emiratis to enter this noble line of work,” said Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs.
Shaikh Mansour also added that a new category would be added to the awards for the 2015-2016 cycle.
“This new category will recognise individuals and organisations who seek to inculcate a culture of innovation and creativity within education,” he said.
For the 2014-2015 cycle of prizes, Juma Al Majid, well-known Emirati entrepreneur and philanthropist, was selected as Educational Personality of the Year. He was lauded for his contributions towards furthering awareness of Emirati and Arab culture through the Juma Al Majid Centre for Culture and Heritage.
In addition, prizes were given in nine other broad categories — public education, higher education, special needs centres, education and community service, new media and education, creativity in teaching Arabic, educational research, innovative educational projects and programmes, and educational authoring.
The eighth edition of the annual awards was also attended by Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister for Culture, Youth and Community Development, and Dr Amal Al Qubaisi, director general at the Abu Dhabi Education Council.
A total of Dh3.6 million was distributed to the awardees, with each prize ranging between Dh75,000 and Dh200,000, Dr Amal Al Afifi, secretary-general of the award, told Gulf News.
Winners also received trophies and certificates of excellence.
