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UAE happiest Arab country
UAE happiest Arab country Staff Reporter / 9 September 2013 The UAE has been ranked the happiest Arab country and the 14th happiest in the world in the second World Happiness Report. His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has lauded the achievement, which he described as an approach followed by the founding fathers of the UAE, a vision in all government sectors, levels and institutions ‘‘as well as a manner of work that governs all of our policies and decisions’’. Shaikh Mohammed with students at the Granada School for Primary Education in Al Mazhar area of Dubai on Sunday. Shaikh Mohammed also visited the Al Nokhba (Elite) Model School. The visits to the two schools come within the framework of Shaikh Mohammed’s interest in pursuing excellence in the field of education for UAE students. — Wam “Achieving happiness, welfare and dignified living for nationals and their families is the preoccupation of the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. This ranking would not have been possible without the efforts of sincere men, excellent teamwork and full coordination and integration between all local and federal government sectors.” A safe and secure environment is one of the main reasons that the UAE has been voted the ‘happiest country’ in the Arab region, according to its residents, who said the UAE is ‘an amazing place to live in’. “Our goal is to achieve the happiness of our people, and their satisfaction is the gauge of our success. All development plans that we approved, all initiatives that we launched and all the government policies and laws, have one common goal — achieving the happiness of our people. What we have already achieved is only the first stage, which will be followed by more work and achievements in order to become one of the world’s best countries God willing,” Shaikh Mohammed said. “Countries can only be built with happy and satisfied people. Happiness of individuals is only the start for a stable, productive and safe society. That is why relevant international organisations started to review the real yardstick for the success of governments and to increasingly focus on measuring the satisfaction and happiness of people as a main way towards sustainable development,” stated Shaikh Mohammed. Underscoring the importance of embracing this yardstick by all government officials, he said: “We gave directives to all government teams, during the recent Government Summit, that they should make their decisions and policies based on one goal, which is making society happy. No doubt happiness and satisfaction is something psychological for individuals, but the government’s mission is to provide dignified living and welfare for its citizens, to make life easy for them as well as to create opportunities for them to achieve happiness for themselves and for their families. All this requires, among other things, joint efforts and policies and laws that are suitable for society, achieving security, justice and safety, taking care of underprivileged groups and the continuous development of infrastructure. This cannot be achieved without having clear-cut plans and excellent teams and taking the best advantage of the resources that are available to us. “We will continue forward to serve our country, achieve happiness for our sons and to invest all that we have to prepare people to make them able, strong, and skilled enough to achieve success. I say to all our people: be hopeful because we all overcame a lot of challenges in the past, and because our present is full of achievements, and our future is promising and is based on the highest ambitions,” said Shaikh Mohammed. Khaleej Times caught up with a few UAE residents who agreed with the results of the report, and cited a safe and secure environment as one of the main reasons for the overall happiness of its people. Indian national and Dubai resident Shehir Rawthar said: “In comparison to neighbouring nations, UAE is a safe haven. People here have steered clear of wars and fights. Even a layman can afford luxury, and that is what makes UAE special.” Pakistani national Victoria Diamond said: “I have lived here all my life and UAE is home to me. There is no other place where I feel safer and happier than I feel here.” Syrian national Khaled Ali said: “My home country is currently in a state of crisis. I have been living here for the last 11 years and I have achieved tremendous career and personal growth living in the UAE. Though I am worried about my brothers and sisters back home, I know my family will be very safe here. Yes, I am happy in the UAE.” “I have been living in the UAE since 2005. Except for very high rents and a slight language problem, it is a great place to live in. It is safe and provides great education for its young. I personally live in a great place, have a good job, and I drive a good car. So if happiness is measured by the kind of commodities that you can acquire, then yes, I am a very happy man,” said British national Nick David. — news@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
Students urged to pursue excellence
Students urged to pursue excellence (Wam) / 9 September 2013 His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Sunday paid an inspection visit to two schools in Dubai — the Granada School for Primary Education and the Al Nokhba (Elite) Model School in Al Mazhar area. The visits come within the framework of Shaikh Mohammed’s interest in pursuing excellence in the field of education for students in the UAE. He was accorded a warm welcome by the students and teaching and administrative staff of the two schools. Shaikh Mohammed toured the Granada School where he met with the students and congratulated them on the start of the new academic year. He wished them success and high performance. He also inspected the activities in the classes at the schools. At Al Nokhba Model School, Shaikh Mohammed was briefed by a computer science teacher on the performance of students. He also toured the school and inspected the new equipment installed this academic year. Shaikh Mohammed expressed pleasure at sharing with the students their happiness to come back to schools. He wished them success in their studies and efforts towards a bright future for them and for the UAE. Al Qattami visits Fujairah schools Humaid Al Qattami, Minister of Education, on Sunday visited several schools in Fujairah and Seiji neighbourhood marking the reopening schools. He joined the students as they sang the national anthem and hoisted the national flag. Al Qattami was briefed on the preparations made by schools for the new academic year and ordered immediate provision of anything they lacked. Saluting the national flag and singing the national anthem with students is a stress on the ministry’s efforts towards reinforcing the national identity and values of loyalty and inculcating them among students said Al Qattami. He added that his programme of visiting schools will continue throughout the year. Getting back to class after the summer break Olivia Olarte-Ulherr Classes started on Sunday on a high note with a number of government schools having nearly perfect attendance. Abdulaziz Ahmed, principal of Al Aasima School in Al Shamkha, said 95 per cent of his students turned up on the first day. He expects all the boys to be present the next day. “We have a very good first day with welcome activities for our Grade 1 students. We have characters and toys and we showed them around our school,” he said. Dr Abdullatif Al Shamsi at the Applied Technology High School in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. — Supplied photo Classes officially started soon after with teachers and students being in classrooms till 1pm, as per the official school timing. “We have a very good attendance,” said another school principal on Abu Dhabi. A school for girls in Al Shahama also saw hundred per cent attendance. In Baniyas, Umm Abdulla avoided waking up her son to go to school on Sunday. “It’s just the first day of school and maybe teachers will not teach yet,” she reasoned. But Abdulla, who will begin Grade 5 this year, woke-up early on his own to get ready for school. “I am excited to go to school because I miss my friends. We have not seen each other since the school break and I have so much to tell them about my holiday,” he said. At the Institute of Applied Technology (IAT), classes reopened on Sunday with two new campuses in Ajman for girls and boys. All of IAT’s now nine campuses have 5,016 enrollees and 100 per cent attendance on Sunday. “On the first day of school, we have 100 per cent attendance because we notified students early on that we will start our work on the first day. All lessons at IAT are very important and they can’t miss any lesson,” said Dr. Abdullatif Al Shamsi, general manager of IAT. IAT, which offers career-based technical education at the secondary and tertiary levels, has a very strict attendance policy. For this academic year, 5,200 students applied at IAT but only 1,850 candidates were chosen for Applied Technology High School, a 38 per cent increase from students last year. All new students underwent a two-week workshop in English, Math and Science prior to the opening of classes to prepare them for their course works. IAT also hired an additional 150 teachers this year, to complete its 600 teachers. Private schools Across the emirate, in the Western Region, Asian International Private School in Madinat Zayed, resumed classes last week after a two-month summer break. According to principal Molly D’Coutho, attendance was 93 per cent on the first day. “Now we have 99 per cent. Parents who went on vacation wrote to us saying that they could not come back last week due to the high airfare. Now we’re on regular stream,” she said. For students who went on holiday, the principal had tasked them to “get closer with their grandparents, uncles and aunties” and write anecdotes about them. The aim was to get the students build better relations with relatives back home, said D’Coutho. The stories were read by the students during the school assembly. Students’ safety In keeping with students’ safety on the back-to-school day, the Abu Dhabi Police in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) launched a new campaign aimed at enhancing the level of traffic safety for students this new academic year. The ‘Students’ safety is everyone’s responsibility’ drive on Sunday at Khalifa City A featured awareness programmes and an exhibition on traffic safety. The campaign targets schools, parents, education authorities, school administrations, school bus drivers and other participants. “The safety of our students is not only the responsibility of one entity, but a collaborative process in which the society becomes an extended family for the students. Let us embrace our duty to protect these students from traffic accidents and create a culture of safety awareness,” said Brigadier Hussein Ahmed Al Harthi, director of the Traffic and Patrols Directorate at the Abu Dhabi Police. “This requires drivers to be extra alert to the presence of students on the roads, particularly in the hours when students are coming to school in the morning, or leaving school in the afternoon,” he added. For the campaign, the police have drafted a comprehensive plan that includes intensified patrols at areas of traffic congestion around schools in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and the Western Region. “We urge all parents to avoid making abrupt stops in undesignated areas when collecting their children outside schools, as this leads to traffic congestion and accidents. Traffic awareness messages will also be delivered to parents through their children,” Al Harthi said. These include educational videos that focus on basic safety rules, the importance of seat belts and child seats, and the golden rule for use of the school bus. Mohammed Salem Al Dhaheri, executive director of School Operations at Adec, has urged all schools to abide by the safety standards of school buses and ensure that all mechanical aspects of the buses are satisfactory, in order to provide safe transportation for students. He also encouraged all school bus drivers to abide by traffic safety rules, such as, avoiding overloading and only letting students disembark at designated areas. The campaign will continue throughout the year as part of the ‘Together’ initiative (www.uae-together.com). Safety messages have been spread though social networks Facebook (UAETogether), Twitter and YouTube. olivia@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
Many happy returns as Dubai Metro turns 4
Many happy returns as Dubai Metro turns 4 Lily B. Libo-on / 9 September 2013 Dubai Metro, world’s largest driverless rail network extending up to 75 kilometres, celebrates its four years of successful operation today with an increase of 20 per cent increase in its ridership over the years. The high-level performance of Dubai Metro’s 58 trains is evident by its more than 366,000 current average daily passengers, which has led millions to turn to public transport and decongest Dubai roads. Metro passenger, Joseph, an Indian expatriate in Dubai says: “I find the Metro very efficient, no-hassle public transport for expatriates. I live in Baniyas Square but work at the Dubai Airport Free Zone in Al Qusais. Yet, I reach my work place in 15 minutes. I have never been late because Metro Green Line is bringing me to work with efficiency and speed.” According to Cherrie Rentillo, a Filipina, the metro helps her in saving time. “It is very efficient and seldom has any technical glitches. Even if it happens, the Rail Agency of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) always has a solution. “It is fast as you will not go through a traffic rush. It’s just perfect,” she says. Pakistani expatriate, Ali Mohammed, is all praises for the Dubai Metro. “Since its launch in 2009, I have never been late for work though I work on Shaikh Zayed and stay in Deira. It is a great help to workers, not just in terms of time but also in terms of cash. RTA’s newly launched Metro Mini Entertainer, a discount voucher booklet priced at Dh65, is also a help when I come home late. It contains Dh2,000 worth of savings from over 30 different outlets representing restaurants and leisure centers located close to the metro stations.” Sudanese housewife, Huda, said that the latest expansion of the women and children cabin from 7am to 9am and from 5pm to 9pm from Sunday to Thursday is convenient to mothers when travelling with kids, especially while going to the Mall of the Emirates or The Dubai Mall. “It is such a relief,” she said. Metro expansion welcome The news of the forthcoming expansion, which will expand the Red Line to Mirdif and the Green Line to Academic City, is also a welcome move. Dubai Metro passengers along this area said that it will give them the benefit of traveling faster and quicker. Ramadan Abdullah Mohammed, director of RTA’s Rail Operations, said that Dubai Metro celebrates its fourth year of operation today, with a huge success and increasing demand, which prompts it to continuously plan for expansion. “We conduct a continuous study to enhance our services to the public, even the latest allocation of one cabin to women and children from 7am to 9am and from 5pm to 9pm, is a product of our study. We also plan to increase the number of trains based on the continuous study of the ridership during peak hours and months, holidays such as Eid and National Day, and our target and achievements,” Ramadan said. He said the Dubai Metro achieved its target well in 2012, and even in 2013, it is performing well in terms of achieving its target. To start the project next year, the RTA is conducting more studies on the proposed extensions and the exact time to begin the projects next year after concluding its observations. The Green Line will extend up to 24 kilometres and the Red Line by 12 kilometres. Both lines consist of modern designs and architecture, including many retail outlets, Wi-Fi connectivity, ATM machines and accessibility for special needs passengers to public buses. The number of riders using the Dubai Metro Red Line in the last six months topped 43,552,110 riders at a rate exceeding seven million per month. The Green Line riders during the same period reached 23,549,206 at a rate of about four million riders per month. Deira City Centre, Burj Khalifa, Mall of the Emirates, Union, Burjuman, Al Rigga and Al Karama metro stations accounted for the biggest chunk of passengers in the Red Line. – lily@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
