Dubai: More than 220 students in the UAE were honoured during the 17th cycle of the Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Distinguished Academic Performance on Wednesday.
The students and teachers were honoured by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance at an award ceremony held at the Dubai World Trade Centre.
The students were given the Distinguished Student cup, certificate and a cash prize of Dh20,000 to encourage them to continue pursuing their education with diligence.
The students who won the award attend various public and private schools in the country, including The Indian High School, GEMS Millennium School, Our Own English High School, Dubai National School, the Fujairah Academy of Islamic Teachings, and Al Ain Juniors School. Eleven teachers from Al Ain, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah were also honoured.
An estimated 63 per cent of participants from Dubai, 41 per cent from Abu Dhabi, and 52 per cent from Sharjah won the Award in various categories. Out of 20 participating universities and colleges, 11 were honoured.
Participants hail from across the Arab world and include teachers, academically distinguished families, research groups, and social and guidance counsellors.
Among the winners was ten-year-old Candace Sara Ciju, who won the award for the second time.
“I am so happy and excited about winning for the second time. I feel like I am walking on air. I wouldn’t have done it without my parents and teachers.”
Ciju said she won the award twice (the first time in 2012) by getting good grades and getting involved in a lot of extra curricular activities.
There are 14 local categories, four in the GCC, and an Arab educational research award.
There are a number of categories to honour and motivate academic excellence, they include includes the Distinguished Teacher Award, Distinguished Student, Distinguished Social Worker, Distinguished Supervisor, Best Scientific Innovation, Best Applied Project and Distinguished Parent.
The winners were picked by a judging panel comprising 56 people. They first looked through all the applicants of the award, they then conducted interviews and school and university visits.
The award was established in 1998 after a decree by Shaikh Hamdan, as a way of recognising excellence in educational performance and fostering talent.
