SPEA Participates In SCRF 2021 With Creative Platform

UAE UNIVERSITIES PLAY A PIVOTAL ROLE IN ACHIEVING THE 2030 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

The Sharjah Private Education Authority (SPEA) participated in the 13th edition of the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF), organised by the Sharjah Book Authority, under the theme ‘For Your Imagination’, through a special platform that provided children with a package of activities and events aimed at stimulating their imagination and enhancing their abilities.

Minister Hussain bin Ibrahim Al Hammadi has stated that the vital role of higher education institutions is not limited to achieving quality and comprehensive education only, but that it rather extends its impact by achieving the various goals, through teaching, learning, research outputs, campus initiatives and higher education institutions, to facilitate social, environmental and economic development. He noted that higher education institutions have become one of the most important incubators of ideas and solutions to global problems, mainly with their central location between government networks, civil society and industry partners, which means that they have enormous potential to generate a positive impact.

Through the platform, SPEA presented the ‘Drawing Challenge’, which allowed children to imagine and draw a cover for the story ‘My School is Most Beautiful’, as well as the recital activity in the ‘Narrator’ workshops, during which interesting stories were read to children in an interactive way that provoked their imagination. The platform offered interactive games suitable for different age groups, too, which also allowed visitors to take memorial photos with a number of the UAE’s leaders or comic characters via the virtual photography screen.

SPEA

MOE

A package of activities and events aimed at stimulating their imagination and enhancing their abilities

NEW COLLABORATIVE EFFORT TO PREPARE EMIRATI YOUTH FOR HIGHER EDUCATION STUDIES IN THE UNITED STATES

MOE

The Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation for Education (AGFE) has announced a new multi-stakeholder collaboration, the US University Readiness Programme, together with the UAE Ministry of Education, AMIDEAST and the US Embassy Abu Dhabi. The university-geared upskilling programme will develop the skills of 105 Emirati 11th-grade high school students and 33 counsellors from nearly 47 schools across the UAE to navigate the admissions process of higher education institutions in the US.

The 15-month-long programme seeks to improve acceptance and enrollment opportunities for Emirati students applying to colleges and universities across the US. As part of the collaboration, the students will participate in an interactive, engaging after-school enrichment programme. It will focus on fostering their English-language competencies and developing the communication, problem-solving and critical thinking skills needed to achieve the required scores on standardised exams required for US university admission.

The participating students will also be guided through the many other aspects involved in the US university admissions system. This includes developing their knowledge of US educational opportunities, supporting them to navigate the application process, and equipping them with the necessary skills for test preparation. In addition to assistance with university application submissions, financial aid application support will also be provided as needed.

Dr Sonia Ben Jaafar, Chief Executive Officer

of AGFE, said: “This is another milestone in our university readiness programme, and we are proud of this multistakeholder partnership with the UAE Ministry of Education, US Embassy Abu Dhabi, and AMIDEAST. The partnership reflects AGFE’s continued commitment to providing youth in the UAE and the wider Middle East region access to quality higher education opportunities. With the introduction of this ground-breaking collaboration, our objective is to create real and meaningful impact in the lives of Emirati and Arab youth in the region for many years to come.”

In addition to supporting and guiding students interested in studying in the US, the programme provides public secondary school counsellors with the opportunity to familiarise themselves with US university admission procedures and develop new skills and techniques.