Abu Dhabi: Within the next five years, education officials aim to have 60 per cent of all school leavers in the emirate of Abu Dhabi pursue further studies and careers in the fields of science, technology and innovation.
There is, however, a long way to go in reaching this target, Dr Amal Al Qubaisi, director-general at the emirate’s education sector regulator, the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec), said while announcing the ten-day Abu Dhabi Science Festival next month.
The fifth edition of the festival, which is organised by the Technology Development Committee in collaboration with Adec, is expected to attract more than 150,000 visitors. It will run from November 12 to 21 at Mushrif Central Park in the capital.
“We hope to soon see a national workforce specialised in the sciences, technology and innovation, and this festival is a step in creating such human capital,” Dr Amal said.
The festival has been organised since 2011 and is geared towards children aged between five and 15. Organisers said that more than half a million people had visited it over the last four years.
Although activities are designed in coordination with the Edinburgh International Science Festival, nearly 40 per cent of the content this year has been developed locally.
“We have 28 new activities inspired by the UAE’s environment, in addition to favourite activities from previous editions of the event. The new venue will also be able to accommodate twice the number of visitors,” Dr Amal said.
One of the key attractions at this year’s event will be a model of a Mars space station.
“The space station will be especially exciting given the recent discovery of water on the Red Planet, and also because the UAE has voiced its commitment to becoming a space nation. The model space station will run a workshop about how life could be sustained on Mars,” said Dr Simon Gage, director of the Edinburgh festival.
He added that more and more local companies were showing an interest in creating festival content each year.
This time, the festival will also coincide with National Innovation Week, and Dr Amal said that pupils from across the UAE will be encouraged to attend. In addition to visitors, nearly 700 university students will be trained to deliver the content to schoolchildren.
“This is just one of a series of steps we are taking to encourage future scientists and innovators in the UAE. For example, another initiative will see all public schools featuring well-equipped laboratories that help children explore and learn about the sciences,” the official added.
