Tag Archives: georgia
Student with low vision excels in Grade 12 exams
Student with low vision excels in Grade 12 exams Muaz Shabandri / 7 June 2013 Sitting close to the exam room window and reading his question paper with an electronic magnifier, Sajjad Kalam, comes across as any ordinary student taking his exams. A closer look at his paper and one gets to know the difficulty with which he has to read and answer the questions written on a sheet because of limited vision. “I have difficulties in reading and that’s why I have to put more efforts in reading and writing with clarity,” says Sajjad. Sajjad has a medical condition, which limits his vision by as much as 80 per cent. Having to wear thick glasses and still use an electronic magnifier, the student was given special provisions taking into account the extra time taken by him to read. Defying all odds, Sajjad, who is a student of The Millennium School, Dubai, scored 83 per cent in his Grade 12 exams and his results put a smile on the faces of friends and teachers who helped him through his studies. “I was very happy to hear his results and it reflects the hard-work of the student, his parents and the teachers who have taught him,” said Senior School Supervisor (Boys) Syed Ali. Simple tasks like finding a page in the textbook called for help from classmates, as the numbers were too small for his eyesight. Teachers at the school have also played a big part in helping Sajjad understand the curriculum. “From Grade 5 to 9, we used to give him a question paper on a larger sheet so that he could read easily,” said one of his teachers. Sajjad has always been popular among his friends because of his humble and loving nature. Ratan Koshy and Parmeet Singh, two of his close friends have made every effort to be by his side whenever there have been any difficulties. The two students have even been recognised by the school with special awards. While finishing the exams is the first step in stepping into the right career path, Sajjad has no qualms about taking up higher education. He plans to take up an undergraduate course in business administration and move ahead in life. muaz@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
Up the oven they go, to sleep in a deck
Up the oven they go, to sleep in a deck Staff Reporter / 6 June 2013 Some bakery workers in the Capital have to climb through an oven to get into a cramped, dusty and smelly ‘deck’ where they live, a recent inspection of their accommodation has revealed. The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City launched an intensified inspection of workers’ accommodation units provided by their employers, during which it was discovered that many live in cramped and unhygienic conditions, which often double up as storerooms. In one of the cases, inspectors found a smelly, dusty overhead deck in one of the bakeries, which was used as lodging and sleeping place for the bakery workers with very poor living conditions. “Workers gain access to the upper deck of the bakery by climbing up the oven of the bakery in order to conceal the place from inspectors. It also contains casual extensions of electricity and sewage, and lacks health factors such as sunlight and air-circulation,” said Municipality public health director, Khalifa Mohammed Al Rumaithi. These places, he added, “lack the least principles of public health” and were mostly over-crowded with workers living next to gas cylinders or in rooms that doubled as storerooms. “The Municipality acts with these contraventions according to the provisions of the law. Offenders are offered one week’s time to redress their conditions and remove additions and causes of offences in order to avoid legal questioning, and issuing of offence tickets to them, but judicial transgressions will be enforced against repeaters,” Al Rumaithi said. He called upon business owners to use suitable premises for accommodation and refrain from using work facilities for accommodation and stressed the importance of removing them. The official advised these establishments to ensure the provision of a healthy accommodation for workers and compliance with the occupational health and safety stipulations in order to maintain the health of workers, avoid subjecting them to accidents and injuries, provide suitable health and living conditions, and address the public health requirements at those facilities. He reiterated the commitment of the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City to continuously ensure the compliance of business and occupational outlets and warehouses to provide suitable accommodation to workers and avoid using overhead deck for accommodation and storage purposes. Al Rumaithi added the Municipality would continue its inspection campaigns to combat all sorts of unlawful additions and structures made in installations at villas, flats, buildings and residential and commercial outlets in order to ensure the highest standards of living and sustainable environment for the residents of Abu Dhabi city. He called for strict compliance with the standards of public health, and the applicable laws in order to ensure a decent living for all community members. Workers were a key community segment that had made a considerable contribution to the comprehensive development in Abu Dhabi, he said. news@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
Dubai honours young scientists
Dubai honours young scientists Amira Agarib / 6 June 2013 The first Arab woman to be crowned genius of the year has been honoured at a ceremony, which also recognised young Emirati scientists. Shaikh Majid bin Mohammed honours Dr Manahel Thabet as Humaid Mohammed Al Qattami looks on during the Emirates Young Scientist Award ceremony in Dubai on Tuesday. — Wam Dubai-based Yemeni economist Dr Manahel Thabet, who won The World Genius Directory 2013 Genius of the Year Award in January, was lauded as a fitting example of what the youngsters should aspire to be. She is the youngest person in the world to earn a PhD in finance engineering, with the honour magna cum laude. Shaikh Majid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, presented awards to the winners of Emirates Young Scientist Award in its fourth session in a ceremony on Tuesday, in the presence of Lieutenant-General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, Commander-in-Chief of the Dubai Police and Chairman of the UAE Talent Association; Humaid Mohammed Obaid Al Qattami, Minister of Education; Dr Ahmed Eid Al Mansoui, Director of the Dubai Education Zone; businessman Mohammed Omer Haider and senior officials . Shaikh Majid praised the efforts exerted by civil society and the UAE Talent Association in building new generation, supporting educational institutions in the UAE and providing encouraging environment for innovation. Dhahi Khalfan lauded the unlimited support of UAE leaders led by the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and the patronage of Shaikh Majid bin Mohammed and the special care he shows in promoting the educational standard of UAE nationals. He also congratulated winners of the award in various categories. Dhahi Khalfan added that Arab and Muslim scholars in the past were known for being pioneers in the fields of science and mathematics. He said that Emirates Award for Young Scientists aims at giving opportunities to talented youth and enhancing their scientific capabilities in addition to spreading the culture of applied science and establishing database of talented young students. At the end of the ceremony, Shaikh Majid, Dhahi Khalfan and Humaid Mohammed Al Qattami honoured the students and officials. Humaid Mohammed Al Qattami and Mohammed Omer Haider were also recognised for supporting the award for the past four years. news@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
