Abu Dhabi: His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, said on Sunday that students are our investment for the future.
“We look to the future with optimism, because we have placed our confidence in our students and their capabilities to achieve the nation’s aspirations,” said Shaikh Mohammad, when he visited Shaikh Hamdan Bin Zayed School in Al Bateen, Abu Dhabi.
Shaikh Mohammad inspected the flow of work in the school on the first day of the 2017-2018 academic year.
Shaikh Mohammad stressed the importance of forging partnerships and investing in educational and cultural diversity. He also emphasised the importance of building bridges of relations with different cultures around the world, which will provide Emirati students with communication skills and the ability to work in a culturally diverse environment.
Shaikh Mohammad reaffirmed that students capabilities and skills must be developed in a way that complements with the requirements and challenges of the 21st century, which will allow the students to build their present and shape the nation’s future. Shaikh Mohammad called on empowering families so that they can contribute and support educational efforts.
Shaikh Mohammad visited the classes, sections and laboratories of the school, in which 782 students are enrolled, including 18 from China.
During the tour, he was accompanied by Fatima Al Bastaki, the school’s principal, who briefed him on the preparations undertaken by the school to receive students during the first day of the academic year. Al Bastaki pointed out that Hamdan Bin Zayed School is the only public school that teaches the Chinese languages. She indicated that the school aims for students and their parents to interact with global cultures.
Shaikh Mohammad interacted with the students, who expressed their happiness at his visit.
He was welcomed by Emirati students Khalifa Rashid and Mariam Eisa, both of whom speak the Chinese language, and then interacted with a Chinese student who speaks Arabic.
Shaikh Mohammad was accompanied by Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hussain Ebrahim Al Hammadi, Minister of Education, Dr Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, Director-General of Abu Dhabi Education Council, and other officials.
