'Maktoum paid for my university education'

Dubai: The first UAE national to study dentistry abroad was among a 16-strong delegation to go at the personal expense of the late Shaikh Maktoum Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Dr Mohammad Hamdan Al Shamsi was among the 16 students who pursued their higher education overseas in Egypt, the United Kingdom and various other countries between 1968 and the early 1970s.

"I will never forget how much I owe the late Shaikh Maktoum who personally covered my higher education expenses at Cairo University between 1968 and 1973," 55-year-old Dr Al Shamsi told Gulf News following the sad demise of the "big-hearted and charitable statesman", as he described him.

Open-door policy

Dr Al Shamsi, who finished his secondary education in 1968, said during that period the Gulf and Arabic South office in Kuwait used to sponsor overseas student scholarships.

"The batch of 16 students had just graduated from secondary school but we could not afford to pursue our higher education overseas," he said.

Shaikh Maktoum, who was his father's the late Shaikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum right-hand man, then, had an open-door policy and after meeting him, approved covering the education and accommodation expenses for the 16 graduates, said Dr Al Shamsi.

He said Shaikh Maktoum told them to choose their "favoured educational destination", promising to cover all expenses.

"Eight of us decided to go to Egypt and the rest went to London in the UK and other countries. We used to get a monthly salary as well," he said.

One can understand from Shaikh Maktoum's "humanitarian move" that he appreciated education and "was keen to encourage the people towards education", he said.

He was a visionary leader whose aim was to have a community which was educated, he said.

Dr Al Shamsi also said the late ruler was 'open-handed' and did not keep wealth for himself but frequently spent it on the people and the country, "the thing which helped in the UAE's development".

Pride and dignity

He lauded the country's leaders and described them as "great men" because they worked for the UAE and utilised the natural resources in people's favour.

He said His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, was "the right leader, in the right place and time".

He thanked Shaikh Maktoum and all the late leaders for bringing "pride and dignity to the UAE".