Tag Archives: opinion
150 Grade 12 top scorers honoured
150 Grade 12 top scorers honoured Olivia Olarte-Ulherr (olivia@khaleejtimes.com) / 18 July 2013 Being handicapped was not an obstacle for Reem Saif Al Dhahouri, 19, for excelling in her studies. With 96 per cent as her final grade, the student of Salma bint Qais topped the literature stream in Sharjah and was among the 150 Grade 12 top achievers across the UAE who were honoured on Tuesday by Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Presidential Affairs and Deputy Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec). “I am so happy, I cannot describe my feelings,” said Umm Reem who described her daughter as studious. The new graduate, who was afflicted with polio from birth, said she did not face any difficulty in school despite her condition. “Everything was fine,” Reem, who was the third among seven siblings, said. The Emirati student hopes to continue her studies in multimedia, majoring in web design, at Sharjah University. “I am very proud of our top performing students who stand amongst us today. They worked very hard and proved to themselves and to the UAE leaders that our youth is more than capable and ready to take part in challenging situations,” said Shaikh Mansour. Speaking on behalf of her peers during the ceremony, Alanood Mohammed Al Ameri, described their 12-year educational journey as “beautiful yet full of challenges and obstacles.” “This is our first building block … the first journey of a thousand miles. We are optimistic of the future. We promise to be the lanterns that you will see shine as you are our example,” Alannod said of Shaikh Mansour. Sarah Rashed Al Seridy, 15, from Fujairah accompanied her sister at the honouring ceremony. Ruwaya, 17, scored 99.4 per cent in the science stream and is the seventh topper in the UAE and third in Fujairah. “I feel very happy and I am proud of her. Her efforts have finally paid off. She received scholarship to study in the UAE University from Shaikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum (Deputy Ruler of Dubai, UAE Minister of Finance),” Sarah said. The Grade 12 Emirati and expatriate students who achieved a minimum score of 98 per cent from across public schools and the Institutes of Applied Technology, were offered certificates of appreciation for their successful achievement. Emirati special needs top performers, who achieved 95 per cent and above were also honoured on Tuesday. In addition, they each received Dh20,000 from the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan while 20 scholarship grants at Abu Dhabi University were offered by Shaikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s Representative in the Western Region. “Thanks to the limitless support to education by our UAE leaders, our students are receiving some of the world’s top educational systems, which results in creating a generation of high achieving students,” commended Dr Mugheer Khamis Al Khaili, director general of Adec. Continue reading
Shortages in Syrian refugee camps
Shortages in Syrian refugee camps Amanda Fisher / 15 July 2013 Chronic shortages of resources are causing tensions to flare in Syrian refugee camps, says the managing partner of a Dubai-based company that has built accommodation for 6,000 more people fleeing the ongoing conflict. UAE-based company Modular & Mobile Solutions UAE managed the camp, which was knocked up along the Syria-Turkey border in three short months. Kilis Camp, which houses four schools, two mosques, a hospital, clinic, rehabilitation clinic, kitchen and 1,000 “modular homes” that can each accommodate a family of six, was opened two weeks ago and was at half capacity already. The homes, made up of pre-fabricated modules, measure 21 square metres and have running water and electricity, but company managing partner Ben Long said the new camp was no solution to alleviating the pressures facing the ever-growing number of refugees. “Absolutely not, there’s lots more needed. If you look at the project, it’s a big project, there’s 6,000 refugees but there’s 1.6 million registered refugees, and at least that number unregistered.” Tensions were rising inside camps, as people who had had to leave behind their livelihoods battled to get a share of limited resources. “Things are happening at the camps, incidents unfortunately, because there isn’t enough resources, there isn’t enough food or enough water.” Long’s company jointly managed the $6 million project, funded primarily by Kuwaiti charity Islamic Charitable Organisation, alongside Turkish company IHH which works closely with the United Nations — while the Turkish government was providing food. The British expatriate said there were measures in place in order to keep the number of people living at the camp capped with fences around the perimeter and security manning the entrances. “Security is one of the key issues and it is a secure camp, they’ve made sure people can’t just come in…there is an issue with there not being enough housing, but that’s why we need to act together to make more of these communities. We can do it quickly, that the whole thing has been done in three months and we can do it even faster if we get more people working together.” The rehabilitation centre that was operating at the camp was run by doctors and psychologists in order to help people through the emotional turmoil they had experienced. “We have people who can come in and talk about their issues…there’s all kinds of things happening that we can’t even begin to imagine so the rehabilitation team have gone in there with specialists to deal with it,” he said. The community also had provision to help people start working, including a workshop for sewing, while it was hoped a market would eventually start running to “get some trade going”. “Everything’s sort of there in place for people to start moving forward. You’ve got some families who might have a little bit but you’ve got other families with nothing.” amanda@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
Cabinet nod for Haj, Umrah draft law
Cabinet nod for Haj, Umrah draft law (Wam) / 15 July 2013 His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has said that the Arab community in the UAE lives in unity, solidarity and tolerance during the holy month of Ramadan, the month of serenity, fraternity, social networking and hard work. Shaikh Mohammed made his remarks during the ordinary Cabinet meeting held at the Presidential Palace on Sunday evening. The session was attended by Lt-General Shaikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, and Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs. The Council of Ministers approved during its session the issuance of a draft law regulating Haj and Umrah contracting work. The new resolution puts forward a unified national system to organise the Haj and Umrah journeys. It is applicable on the contractor as well as on Emirati and expatriate pilgrims. The draft law specifies the terms of reference of the Haj and Umrah administration, the competent licensing committee, and general conditions for practising the business and procedural aspects. It also includes the conditions for licencing and renewal thereof of Haj and Umrah mission organisers and measures to increase the number of authorised pilgrims for a contractor during the pilgrimage season, sanctions for violating the licence terms, the obligations of contractors, procedures for the transfer of pilgrims from one contractor to another, and other relevant procedures in this respect. It includes the imposition of clear sanctions and fines on Haj and Umrah contractors who are found negligent in providing the necessary services to pilgrims. The move aims to improve the services provided to pilgrims in the UAE. The Cabinet approved the request of the Federal National Council to discuss the general policy of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA). It also approved the issuance of a federal law amending the federal law on renaming the National Centre for Documentation and Research, so that it will become “The National Archive”. The amendment aims to express the reality of the actual work and terms of reference assigned to the centre as the National Archive of the State. It also endorsed the restructuring of the Board of Directors of the National Centre for Statistics, under the chairmanship of Reem Ibrahim Al Hashimi, Minister of State. The Board of Directors includes representatives with competence and efficiency from all emirates. It also approved the appointment of Helal Saeed Al Marri, Director-General of the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), as a member of the Board of Directors of the National Council for Tourism and Antiquities. Regarding the international conventions, the Cabinet approved a number of agreements between the UAE and Turkey, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Sri Lanka, in the area of legal and judicial cooperation. It also ratified a series of cooperation agreements in the field of air transport with Senegal, Ukraine and Algeria. The Cabinet also approved the ratification of the Convention with Belarus on the exemption of visas for holders of diplomatic passports. It also approved the appointment of 16 judges at different levels of the federal courts. Continue reading
