Dubai: A select group of Emirati students have joined five private schools in Dubai as part of the second cycle of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Distinguished Students Programme.
The programme, which encourages Emirati students in Dubai to apply for scholarships to study in some of Dubai’s top-rated schools, selected 92 pupils this year.
Supporting students from Grades Four to secondary school, the initiative has so far benefited 324 students.
For the second consecutive year, the programme is being rolled out in partnership with government entities including The Executive Council of Dubai, Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) and Knowledge Fund alongside private school operators in Dubai.
Fatma Al Marri, CEO of KHDA in Dubai, said: “Parental engagement is key to the success of this programme and we are pleased to see very strong interest from Emirati parents. The interest the programme has received is reflected in the large number of applications this year. We are very positive that the programme will continue to benefit students and support their overall development as part of the effort to develop the future skills of young Emiratis.”
She added that the programme partners with only those schools rated ‘Good’ or higher and provides excellent Arabic and Islamic learning opportunities for Emirati families.
Educators from participating schools spoke about the positive interactions they had with Emirati students studying at their school.
Alan Williamson, Director of Education at Kings’ Schools, Dubai said: “We have inducted fantastic Emirati students into our flagship, Kings’ School Dubai. We are looking forward to seeing them grow as Kings’ students in the forthcoming years and expanding our shared ambitions for this Program across all of the Kings’ Schools.”
Apart from Kings’ School, the programme is also supported by GEMS Education, Taleem Group as well as Dar al Marefa Private School.
