Tag Archives: entertainment
11,000 private school seats by 2015-16
11,000 more seats in Abu Dhabi schools by 2015-16 (Wam) / 19 August 2013 To meet the growing demand for private education facilities in the Capital, more than 11,000 school seats, located in very attractive locations for private investors, are due to operate by the academic year 2015-2016. The efforts taken by Abu Dhabi Education Council’s (Adec’s) will see the new seats open up in areas including Khalifa A, Al Wathba and Al Fallah. This is the second land Request for Proposal (RfP) to be issued by Adec’s Private Schools and Quality Assurance (PSQA) sector, which offers a huge opportunity for an establishment and operating of a long-term school building. The new schools will offer the most demanded curriculum’s in the private school sector, namely: Indian, American, British and Ministry of Education curriculums. “One of the main pillars of Adec’s strategy for developing education in Abu Dhabi is to provide equal opportunities for all students to enjoy quality education at an affordable cost. This land RfP is part of Adec’s plan to cope with the annual demand and increase of five per cent for more private schools across the emirate. We will continue to work on attracting and supporting committed investors in order to help build new private schools in order to achieve Adec’s vision,” said, Adec’s PSQA executive director Engineer Hamad Al Dhaheri. He added: “Providing this land RfP is part of Adec’s strategy plan to offer high quality affordable education across the private school sector and to increase the supply of school seats in populous areas in Abu Dhabi. For that reason, Adec is reaching out to qualified investors on a local, federal and regional level, who have excellent educational experience, strong financial capabilities and a proven record of managing schools.” In order to ease the process for committed investors, Adec’s PSQA sector will provide all the incentives and support, from business development expertise to obtaining the necessary licences and approvals from the government entities. When asked why the new land plots are located in Khalifa A, Al Wathba and Al Fallah, Engineer Al Dhaheri explained that there are no more lands available in the city. “The island of Abu Dhabi is saturated; in addition these areas are growing by the day and are attractive for many families who chose to relocate there. In addition to the fact that they become not far out from the island of Abu Dhabi at all.” “Currently there is a demand to provide 201,744 private schools seats and supply is 175,441. By the 2015/2016 academic school year we expect this demand to rise to 225,521”, said Engineer Tareq Al Ameri, Business Development Division Manager for PSQA. Once applications for the land RfP are submitted by committed investors who prove to have a strong track record of handling long-term school projects, Adec will provide them with a fast-track service to help obtain the necessary approvals to get started in constructing their schools. Further details for potential investors will be released in an advertisement, which is expected to be published in September. Continue reading
Egypt’s El Sisi thanks UAE for its support
Egypt’s El Sisi thanks UAE for its support (Wam) / 19 August 2013 General Abdel Fattah El Sisi, First Deputy Prime Minister, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Minister of Defence and Military Production of Egypt, has hailed the support of the UAE to Egypt. He also commended Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain for their support. In a live speech on Sunday, General El Sisi reiterated that the Egyptian people would not forget the backing from those countries. He noted that the Egyptian people have a free will to elect whom they want to rule them, adding that the armed forces and police will safeguard the right of people to elect their leaders. “The higher national interest necessitates putting the interest of Egypt and its security above all”. El Sisi added, “Whether army or police, we are loyal to Egypt. We will not betray it. The procedures we have undertaken are transparent and clear because they reflect full understanding about the repercussions of events on the national security.” He added that the call he made for the Egyptian people to mandate the armed forces to deal with the terrorism, was a message to the world, which denied the freedom of millions of Egyptians and their ardent interest for change. “The size of political, economic and security challenges being experienced by Egypt may be large than the ability of Egypt as a state, but not larger compared to the ability of Egyptians as people, because Egypt is a trust for all people of Egypt. Therefore, as army and police, we will protect that trust,” General El Sisi said. Continue reading
Mohammed: Bureaucracy inhibits innovation
Mohammed: Bureaucracy inhibits innovation (Wam) / 19 August 2013 His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has said bureaucracy and routine are counter-productive and inhibit innovation and excellence, referring to the importance of developing government administrative work. “Let us be advocates of innovation and excellence. Our mission is to join forces and make our beloved country rank top globally in terms of services provided to citizens,” he said, as he paid an inspection visit to the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA) on Sunday. Shaikh Mohammed, Shaikh Maktoum bin Mohammed and Lt-Gen Shaikh Saif bin Zayed looking at the old passports displayed at Al Dana Museum in the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai on Sunday. — Wam Shaikh Mohammed underlined the significance of tolerance and respect for the rights of people irrespective of their religion or ethnicity, stressing the value of enriching the welcoming experience for visitors who enter the country by means of air, sea and land. During the visit, Shaikh Mohammed was briefed on the efforts being made to streamline workflow at the directorate. He was accompanied by Shaikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai; Lt-General Shaikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior; Lt-General Musabbah Rashid Al Fattan, Director of the Office of the Vice-President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai; Khalifa Saeed Suleiman, Director- General of Dubai Protocol and Hospitality Department; Major-General Nasser Lakhraibani Al Nuaimi, Secretary-General of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister; and a number of senior officials. Shaikh Mohammed was also accompanied during his tour to the departments and sections GDRFA Director-General Major-General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, who briefed him on the transactions carried out by various sections at the department. Al Marri pointed out the efforts and technology adopted by the GDRFA to streamline workflow with aims to reduce transaction time to a minimum and raise output. Shaikh Mohammed stopped at the Entry Permits and Visa Department, where he was briefed on the daily work carried out by the employees before visiting the Online section where transactions are processed swiftly. Shaikh Mohammed inspected the numerous facilities designed to make people’s visit to the department as comfortable as possible such as the waiting places dedicated for women. He also stopped at Al Dana Museum within the GDRFA headquarters which displays passports dating back to the establishment of the UAE. The Electronics Services Department was the next stop where Shaikh Mohammed listened to a briefing on the various projects carried out by the department such as the electronic link project with different Dubai Government entities. The department successfully processed over five million e-Transactions and received over 500,000 SMS service requests through “Jadid” service last year. During the first quarter of this year, the GDRFA processed more than three million e-Transactions and received more than 400,000 SMS service requests. He also stopped at the Call Centre operated by GDRFA staff. Shaikh Mohammed expressed satisfaction with the high level of proficiency the GDRFA staff had and their dedication to their work which, in turn, reflected the civilised and advanced status of public services in the UAE. Continue reading
