Education
UAE’s goal is smart govt and happy people: Mohammed
UAE’s goal is smart govt and happy people: Mohammed Muaz Shabandri and Sadiq Shaban / 13 February 2014 mGovernment to incorporate 100 services as nation braces for hi-tech future, says Vice-President. Not content with eGovernment, the UAE on Wednesday launched the mGovernment strategy for seamless service as His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, exuded hope and confidence in a smart future. Shaikh Mohammed addressing the concluding session of the Government Summit in Dubai on Wednesday. — KT photo by Shihab ‘Our main goal is to build hope, build life, build the future and make people happy,” Shaikh Mohammed told an audience of ministers, delegates and senior government employees on the concluding day of the Government Summit. Shaikh Mohammed said that one of the ministers from GCC countries asked him why he says making people happy and not satisfied. VP declares unflinching support to Egypt His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Wednesday declared the UAE’s unflinching support to the Egyptian government. “The late President Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan supported Egypt when it signed a peace treaty with Israel. This support continues to this day,” he told visiting foreign journalists. “The President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and I believe Egypt is the heart of the Arab nation and we would do all we can to ensure the country proceeds on the path to reform, maintains security and achieves economical development,” Shaikh Mohammed said. Shaikh Mohammed said the economic downturn did not ruffle him one bit when it hit in 2009. “All were wondering how the world financial recession did not affect me. I was confident of recovering from the meltdown especially Dubai,” he said. He called it a “great challenge” and said he thrived in the situation as he saw an opportunity for a stronger UAE after the recovery. “You judge matters from your own present view and analysis,” he told his audience, “but I judge it from my own experiences, expertise, and my vision of the future”. He said he faced the challenge with “persistence, determination and strong faith, and with our own abilities”. The Vice-President said the GCC was vibrant and making rapid strides in cooperation between the countries in various fields — political, economic and military. “We, in the United Arab Emirates, are striving with brotherly GCC states for stronger ties to fulfill the hopes and expectations of our people.” “I would love to assure you that the end will be happy, God willing.” news@khaleejtimes.com “I answered ‘Satisfaction represents a short period of time but happiness lasts more or is semi permanent, this is similar to victory, because the victory is temporary but excellence is eternal’.” “The UAE is proud to have the biggest and most active team in the world. The students of the UAE are the ones who build our country and the staff are its leaders.” Earlier, Mohammed Abdullah Al Gergawi, UAE Minister of Cabinet Affairs, announced the new mobile strategy at a Press conference with Hamad Obaid Al Mansouri, Director-General of mGovernment, and Hessa Buhumaid, Executive Director for Government Services Sector at the Prime Minister’s Office at the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs. “Governments must be in synergy with the demands and expectations of the people in developing its services comprehensively, meeting the pace of smart device developments globally,” Gergawi said. “The UAE’s goal is to ensure the happiness of the people by enhancing access to government services. Delivering mGovernment services seamlessly requires new tools, new thinking and a new level of creativity, which we are implementing.” The plan is to first establish an environment for mGovernment to flourish; provide access capability and capacity of government entities; establish shared resources across government entities at a national level; and ultimately, achieving citizen happiness. mGovernment services are expected 24 hours a day, seven days a week over two years. By May 2015, the government aims to have UAE citizens connecting with the key government services through smart phone devices for services such as payments and identification purposes. Out of the thousands of government services already available online, the UAE has identified the top 100 services based on customer demand, and will focus on refining them into mGovernment Services by May 2015. news@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Ministry of Education wins top m-Government award
Ministry of Education wins top m-Government award Sadiq Shaban & Muaz Shabandri / 13 February 2014 Shaikh Mohammed recognises top digital initiatives from governments in the Arab region and beyond. The UAE’s push towards mobile technology and innovation received a further boost on Wednesday with the announcement of mobile government awards. As part of the newly launched mobile government vision in the UAE, the Best m-Government Service Awards recognise innovation by federal and government entities. Shaikh Mohammed presenting an award for the Dubai Police to Major-General Khamis Mattar Al Mazeina, Commander-in-Chief of the force, as other officers look on during the award ceremony on the last day of the Government Summit in Dubai on Wednesday. — KT photos by Shihab he UAE Ministry of Education won the top honour at this year’s awards for its application ‘Abnaai’. The app is an integrated portal that targets students and parents. It provides an interactive environment which allows parents to access education-related services anytime and anywhere using smart phones. Speaking with Khaleej Times, Humaid Mohammed Obeid Al Qattami, Minister of Education, said: “I am really happy about the awards. These services have been designed by our children. This is just the beginning; we have to work hard to keep developing education in the UAE.” The awards presented by His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, also recognised top digital initiatives from governments in the Arab region and beyond. Students from the UAE universities were also honoured on the occasion. Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research received the top prize of Dh1 million in the university category. Students from the university received the award for creating an application to reduce waiting time in a queue. Shaikh Mohammed flashing the victory sign along with Vice-Chancellor Dr Tayeb Kamali and students of the Higher Colleges of Technology. An additional Dh1 million was also awarded to the same university for helping the UAE Ministry of Health create an app that provides a directory to all services provided by the ministry. It can be accessed from any mobile platform, and allows direct interaction with the ministry by submitting applications. “Mobile applications are going to touch every single aspect of our lives. The UAE is clearly placed ahead of most countries in the region with healthcare and education being the main focus areas. Beyond what technology can offer, I must add that we have the right mindset. And that is what makes the difference,” Osman Sultan, CEO du, told Khaleej Times . The awards have been constituted to stimulate and encourage government entities to provide creative and innovative solutions via smart phone applications and mobile phones. muaz@khaleejtimes.com sadiq@khaleejtimes.com The winners > The Best M-Government Service Award received 26 entries in the international category. Land and Transport Authority, Singapore, bagged the award for its My Transport Application, a comprehensive transportation App that includes information on all modes of land transportation, information on events and promotions nearby. > With 42 entries from the Arab world, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry – Kuwait clinched the prize for its MOCI application that creates a channel of communication between the citizens and residents of Kuwait and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in Kuwait. > The winner from Ras Al Khaimah: RAK e-Gov — for RAKPAY – RAK Mobile Payment Gateway, which enables residents to pay Etisalat and utility bills and pay for business licences. > The winner from Ajman: MPDA by Ajman Municipality and Planning Department, an interactive smart channel for the individual and business segments in Ajman. > The winner from Fujairah: smartFUJAIRAH by Fujairah Municipality, an App that runs on Smart phones and tablets, and is a smart services portal for Al Fujairah Municipality, providing access to the municipality’s services at anytime from anywhere. > The winner from Sharjah: Sharjah DPW by Department of Public Works, an App that aims to deliver information and services to individuals and companies securely, smoothly and efficiently by creating an additional communication channel according to high quality standards, that saves time, effort and money for the App users. > The winner from Abu Dhabi: TransAD (The Centre for Regulation of Transport by Hire Cars in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi), a user-friendly taxi booking App that allows customers to book a taxi in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi from different locations determined by the GPS Location of the user’s smart phone. > The winner from Dubai: Dubai Police Application, which features various electronic services that are available in Arabic and English and divided to ‘Traffic Services’ such as ticket payment, ‘Security Services’ such as notification service, community services and public services. > The winner in the University Students Category in the UAE : iQ by Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research – iQ is a complete queuing system designed to make waiting time in a queue a thing of the past; and MOH by Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research, an App that provides a complete directory to ministry of health services that can be accessed from any mobile platform, and allows direct interaction with the ministry by submitting applications and finalizing them. > An appreciation award was presented to the Higher Colleges of Technology for presenting the largest number of Applications (43). news@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Be ambassadors of nation, Mansour tells students
Be ambassadors of nation, Mansour tells students (Wam) / 13 February 2014 Private sector is strategic choice for jobs, Shaikh Mansour tells students at Government Summit. Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, has affirmed that “the UAE supports all outstanding citizens and supports their academic and creative projects both within the country and abroad.” Shaikh Mansour made these remarks when he met 100 outstanding students on the sidelines of the 2nd Government Summit held in Dubai. The students were invited at the request of Shaikh Mansour out of his keen interest to urge citizens to a bright future and engage students in national programmes. The meeting was attended by Hamad bin Abdulrahman Al Madfaa, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council Affairs of the Federation at the Ministry of Presidential Affairs; Dr. Ali Rashid Abdullah Al Nuaimi, Vice-Chancellor of UAEU; Dr Tayeb Kamali, Vice-Chancellor of The Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT); Undersecretaries of Sectors in the Ministry of Presidential Affairs and a number of senior officials in the educational field. Shaikh Mansour spoke to students about the important issues of concern to young people, including the value of work in the UAE society, and the contribution of educated young citizens in building the nation, as well as the directives of the wise leadership and the government’s efforts to provide a decent life for citizens. Shaikh Mansour said the UAE headed by the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, invests in human development by adopting the best curricula and establishing partnerships with the most outstanding global universities in order to provide citizens with information and skills that will enable them to enter the job market with confidence and make them creative elements raising initiatives, ideas and thoughts. At the conclusion of the meeting, Shaikh Mansour said: “My dear brother students, I would like to emphasise that the private sector is a strategic choice for the recruitment of citizens, not only in the UAE, but in all countries of the world. The report of jobs issued by the International Bank indicates that the private sector is the main engine of job creation and employment opportunities in all countries of the world.” Shaikh Mansour asked the students to be ambassadors of their country, to cling to national identity in the workplace which is teeming with different cultures, abroad or in the country, wishing permanent excellence for all students. For their part, the students expressed their happiness to meet Shaikh Mansour, stressing that the meeting reflected the cohesion between the wise leadership and the sons of the nation. For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
