Abu Dhabi: A number of officials praised the initiative by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, to launch Moral Studies as a subject in school curricula.
Shaikha Lubna Al Qasimi, Minister of State for Tolerance, said that Shaikh Mohammad is keen on instilling values of tolerance, coexistence, respect for cultural diversity and acceptance, while also preserving Emirati values and traditions that put emphasis on respect, cooperation and love, and loyalty and sacrifice for the UAE.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Shaikha Lubna pointed out the variety of constructive initiatives launched by the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s Court with the most recent being the Moral Studies initiative, which supports the education process in the UAE and sets up an environment that bolsters the honourable humanitarian values of Emiratis. She added that the responsibility for bringing up a child up with good manners falls largely on the child’s parents and then teachers, because they have a moral and national responsibility in building the character of children and instilling in them sound ideas that make them love good deeds and follow good role models.
Amal Al Afifi, secretary-general of the Khalifa Award for Education (KAE), expressed the gratitude of the education sector for the Moral Studies initiative that aims to bolster Emirati principles and values. She said that such objectives are a key foundation for character building in students and consolidating their loyalty to the UAE and its wise leadership.
Al Afifi indicated that the initiative represents a turning point in the education system by linking the ethical values of teaching and education that go in harmony with Emirati cultural identity, norms and traditions. Al Afifi added that the KAE, since its launch in 2007, had always included values as a key criteria for assessing innovative teachers who have been nominated for the award.
Mohammad Salem Al Daheri, Executive Director for the education operations section at the Abu Dhabi Education Council, stressed that the initiative represents a qualitative shift and another addition to achievements in the UAE’s march of excellence.
Al Daheri said that Shaikh Mohammad’s directives are a strategic plan and a launching point that will take moral studies to broader horizons of innovation and excellence, which will in turn boost integration between teaching and education in all levels of education.
