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International Children’s Book Day Marks its Success at the Lost Chambers Aquarium – Atlantis the Palm

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, April 3rd, 2014 – In celebration of International Children’s Book day, Atlantis The Palm hosted a fun filled family event on April 2 at The Lost chambers. “Childhood is the ideal time to educate children about environmental issues and to broaden their understanding of the world.  Being able to read is imperative in helping broadening these horizons,” says Natasha Christie, Director of The Lost Chambers Aquarium.

Few of the world’s top authors were present to recite their stories and interact with the children in various activities like face painting, arts and craft, music and educational Aquatheatre shows.

The special guests included- Emirati children’s author Maitha Al Khayyat, SalhaGabish, author of Dana’s Trip, Rashid Al Kous, General Director of Knowledge Without Border and Kathryn Cave, award winning children’s author.

About Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai, UAE
Atlantis, The Palm is the first entertainment resort destination in the region and located at the centre of the crescent of The Palm in Dubai. Opened in September 2008, the unique ocean-themed resort features a variety of marine and entertainment attractions, as well as 17 hectares of waterscape amusement at Aquaventure Waterpark, all within a 46 hectare site. It is home to one of the largest open-air marine habitats in the world, with over 65,000 marine animals in lagoons and displays including The Lost Chambers Aquarium, a maze of underwater corridors and passageways providing a journey through ancient Atlantis. Aquaventure features 18 million litres of fresh water used to power thrilling water slides, a 2.3 kilometer river ride with tidal waves and pools, water rapids and white water chargers. Dolphin Bay, the unparalleled dolphin conservation and education habitat, was created to provide guests a once in a lifetime opportunity to learn more about one of nature’s most graceful mammals.  Atlantis, The Palm is also known as the culinary destination in the region with a collection of world-renowned restaurants including Nobu, Ronda Locatelli,La Brasseri and YUAN. The resort boasts an impressive collection of luxury boutiques and shops as well as extensive meeting and convention facilities. 
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Feigenbaum Leadership Excellence Award 2014 conferred on educationist Vandana Gandhi

 Dubai, UAE, March 31st, 2014 – Ms Vandana Gandhi, founder and CEO of Middle East’s only ISO certified nursery chain, British Orchard Nursery, placed a new dazzling feather in her cap of accomplishments by winning the Feigenbaum Leadership Excellence Award 2014 organized under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed
Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, for her outstanding leadership skills.

She has been selected the winner in the “Women Leaders” category amongst many candidates by the International Jury of the “Feigenbaum Leadership Excellence Award (FLEA). The award supports the practice of long term thinking and sustainable performance, placing significant emphasis on quality and encouraging the drive for continuous improvement in the behavioral mindset that builds successions of effective and able leaders at all levels.
Vandana has won many prestigious awards, including the 2013 Emirates Women Award and ‘GR8! Women Awards-ME’ 2014. Gandhi is the first Indian lady who wins this prestigious national award and the first one winning in the educational sector of ME.
Ms Gandhi said “ I feel honored and humbled to have been recognized by the international and national jury as FLEA is great leadership award, coveted by many in the Middle East and Worldwide. My team at British Orchard Nurseries and I place great importance towards Quality childcare and Total Quality Management. I thank the UAE government for the unflinching support it offers in raising the quality bar. Each recognition I have received motivates me further to research and work hard for the children’s community of UAE which I am so passionate about. More importantly, I aspire to inspire my team of women and empower them to undertake further roles for the overall development of the women, society, education and the extended economy”.
The Feigenbaum Leadership Excellence Award established in honor of Dr. Armand Val Feigenbaum, known as the “Father of Total Quality Control” is dedicated to honor men and women in the Arab World for their exemplary leadership in driving their organizations to fulfill their role in business and society, for their uncompromising style to instigate a quality approach and culture to work and for acting as role model to all.
The Award comprises four Leadership categories: Exceptional Leaders, Accomplished Leaders, Women Leaders and Rising Stars. The award is administered by the Virtual Executive Club (VEC), at the Hamdan Bin Mohammed e-University in Dubai.  Winners are recognized by International Gurus as exemplary Leaders, the award is represented by an engraved gold-plated medal revealing the winner category, accompanied by a certificate of recognition signed by Dr. Feigenbaum. Both serve as a way to further validate winners’ status within their respective profession, adding special emphasis to their particular achievements by recognizing the level of their success which impacts on the credibility of their organization.
“I feel really honored to be in the presence of  great achievers and exceptional leaders who have made remarkable and meaningful strides with a lot of confidence, determination and perseverance that have paved their way to success,” she said having received the award in the presence of celebrities, achievers and a plethora of stars from across the world.
She reiterated her passion about educational activities that inspired her to start  British Orchard Nursery, the only nursery chain in the Middle East with ISO: 9001-2008 Quality certification and a well-trusted centre of excellence in UAE for early years’ education with  branches across Dubai, Sharjah ,Abu Dhabi and in house Government nurseries with the aim to develop children’s social and imaginative skills in a safe and secure environment.
Gandhi also extended her sincere gratitude to the UAE government, colleagues and family for the constant support and cooperation that helped her achieve all the success.
About Vandana Gandhi
Ms. Vandana Gandhi is a versatile personality with varied interests in Calligraphy, Yoga, Scriptural Studies, Squash, Table Tennis etc, other than creating stimulating surroundings and interesting concepts for the young minds. A Masters in Education with distinction, she is currently perusing Doctorate of Education from University of Birmingham, U.K. Having done her schooling in Dubai, she completed her Bachelor’s degree from Mithibai College, Mumbai and thereafter took Post Graduate Diploma in International Business Administration from NMIMS University, Mumbai.
One could easily accolade Vandana, for bringing in a lot of new concepts and innovation to the idea of preschool education in UAE with innovations in the well researched curriculum linked to children’s development and assessments.
She Introduced and conceptualized first of its kind ‘GymJuniorz’, a child’s Gym and Fitness center, to be incorporated within the curriculum. She also introduced the idea of Preschool Corporate Franchising for Road Transport Agency (Government of UAE) and Dubai Water and Electricity Authority, to successfully run and operate a work place nursery for children of their women employees. She enjoys traveling and experiencing different cultures and is committed to make a difference in the society by ensuring that the children at her nursery grow as competent and confident learners.
About British Orchard Nursery
British Orchard Nursery is the only nursery chain in the Middle East to be ISO: 9001-2008 Quality certified. Over the years it has become a well-trusted centre of excellence in UAE for early years’ education. It follows British National Early Years Curriculum, with the addition of structure and progression, whilst still adhering to OFSTED (The British regulatory body) guidelines.  With 14 branches across Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi, housing ‘GymJuniorz’, makes them UAE’s first nursery to have a children’s gym and fitness centre. The Nursery facilities include comprehensive creative spaces that offers role play to develop children’s social and imaginative skills; soft play; swimming pools; construction area where children recreate real life events and situations; a library, a water play area where they can develop understanding of challenging concepts in a ‘hands on capacity’; sand area to explore scientific and mathematical concepts; messy play or painting area to develop creativity; grass area etc. The school offers Arabic lessons, ballet, and gym lessons as well as computer classes.
For more details visit www.britishorchardnursery.com or call 800-PRE SCHOOL
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Over Half a Million UAE Students Could Compete to Qualify for International History Olympiad 2015

The International History Bee and Bowl (IHBB) kicks off in UAE on 26 April as part of International Competition
Dubai, UAE, 9 March 2014 – Following Japan, China, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, England, France and others, The International History Bee and Bowl (IHBB) has added the UAE to the tour that covers Asia, Europe, and the USA.
Top students and teams from UAE schools will have an opportunity to participate in the regional leg of the IHBB that is being organized by Carian College Advisors, which aim to attract the most talented students from across the country to the competition.
“We are targeting over half a million students from private and public schools in the UAE to compete in this competition”, said Peter Davos, IHBB Director of Outreach – Middle East, and Managing Director, Carian College Advisors. “UAE students who excel in the competition will stand a chance to qualify for the Asian Championships this Spring and the inaugural International History Olympiad to be held in the summer of 2015.”
The competition owes its origins to David Madden, founder and Executive Director of the National and International History Bees and Bowls. With 19 consecutive wins on the US television quiz show ‘Jeopardy’, David holds the title as the second longest-winning contestant in the show’s history. With winnings in excess of USD 400,000, David went on to create the highly successful organizations, which last year held over 170 competitions in the US alone. 
The competition hopes to attract participants from more than 30 schools in the UAE, to be added to the thousands of participants from countries such as South Korea, China, Thailand, and Malaysia, with future stops planned in Singapore, Sri Lanka, England, Germany, Switzerland and France. Guests of honor and lead judges for the April 26 event will include Radio Jockey Malavika Vardhan of City 1016, host of Dubai’s top listened to breakfast show, and Omar Nour, champion triathlete and Olympic hopeful, who recently placed second in the Yas triathlon this past weekend.
”IHBB and Carian College Advisors are thrilled to be launching our history quiz tournaments in the UAE, and we look forward to giving students a new opportunity to get excited about studying history. Students around the world have enjoyed competing in the International History Bee and Bowl, and we know that students in the U.A.E. will also have a great time putting their history skills to use in a fast-paced buzzer quiz competition.”
According to statistics from Abu Dhabi Education Council and Knowledge & Human Development Authority in Dubai, there are 200,000 students in Abu Dhabi private schools and 225,000 in Dubai private schools, in addition to students in public schools of both emirates. All public and private schools across the UAE can enter with teams in three separate age divisions. The top half of students and teams will also qualify for the inaugural Asian Championships at the end of the school year.
The international competition, which will hold approximately 12-15 regional tournaments throughout Asia, is seeking to use the upcoming April tournament in Dubai as its showcase competition in the Middle East this year, supported by strong enrollments from across the country. The competitions will take place on Apr 26 over the course of a full day at GEMS Winchester School in Jebel Ali.
Peter Davos, who studied History at Oxford and also hold degrees from Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, and the London School of Economics, commented: “We have selected the UAE as the launch pad because of the tremendous response from its student community and we expect a winning team from the UAE to finish very strongly at both the Asian and global finals.”
“This competition will allow students the opportunity to demonstrate their in-depth understanding of global history, from antiquity to the present day. UAE students are well versed in history, due to the breadth and diversity of local school curricula and their multicultural background. This will also challenge participants to interact with bright history students from other educational institutions from across the country, to see who is truly the best.”
IHBB currently consist of three divisions – Asia, Europe, and USA, with Australia, New Zealand, and South African divisions planned to debut in Summer of 2014 as well. IHBB is looking forward to 12-15 qualifying tournaments in Asia and 6-8 tournaments in Europe this year.  The 2014 European Championships will then be held in Rome, and the inaugural Asian Championships in Hong Kong at the end of the school year. Students who do well in the competition in Dubai in April will qualify to compete in the Asian Championships. In the USA, the competition is growing too – with over 200 competitions to be held nationally next year.
Davos added: “We will expand to other countries across the Arab world and Indian subcontinent in the future. Each division has its own qualifying tournaments and a separate championship at the end of the school year.”
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Ministry of Education Wins ‘Best m-Government Service’ Award

UAE, February 12, 2014 – The UAE Ministry of Education (MoE) has won the ‘Best m-Government Service’ Award in recognition of its innovative mobile application, Abnaai, which serves parents and their children who are studying in UAE-based government schools. Launched by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the award was given at the concluding session of the second annual UAE Government Summit.
The recognition aims to encourage government entities to provide creative and innovative solutions via smart phone applications and mobile phones for round-the-clock access by the public. The solutions must be easy to use and understand and properly working to surpass the public’s needs and expectations.
H.E. Humaid Mohammed Obeid Al Qutami, Minister of Education, highlighted the Ministry’s efforts to meet the Mobile Government project of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed. The endeavor aims to deliver government services to the public through mobile phones.
H.E. Al Qatami said that the award recognizes the efforts made by the Ministry and its employees. He further urged the Ministry to continue to provide world-class m-services and improve the quality of educational and learning services offered to all users.
In line with the award, H.E. Al Qatami responded that the continuous efforts to develop the country into a unique and smart government prompted the Ministry to be part of the UAE’s development initiatives, under the wise leadership of H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahayan, President of UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashed Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and the Ruler of Dubai, and members of the Supreme Council of the UAE.
H.E. Al Qatami said that the Ministry has made successful investments for its experienced and qualified employees to complete important tasks, especially those connected to the development of the education sector. He explained that the latter includes the educational system and its major elements along with specialized services offered by the Ministry to its clients.
H.E. Marwan Al Sawalih, the Ministry Undersecretary, said: “The Ministry of Education is keen on developing a fully integrated and comprehensive system based on modern compatible technologies present in today’s smart phone applications. Key features such as speed, accuracy and quality in serving clients – which include parents and students – are of particular focus. The content and public delivery of the Abnaai application depends on technological advancements in the fields of mass communication and smart devices. It is highly accurate and easy to use.”
The Ministry of Education’s investments into the digital world and smart devices developments will continue. The Ministry will push on with its roadmap to quality transformation with the aim of achieving the objectives of its development strategy along with the UAE Vision 2021.
About the application (Abnaai):
  • Functional on all mobile devices and smart tablets.
  • Parents are registered in the system to ensure data privacy.
  • Parents can enroll their children using the application without the need to be go to the school.
  • Parents can get information and monitor their children using a single account even if the students are in different schools.
  • Easy to log in via individual username and password
  • First-of- its-kind educational application in the region.
  • First application in the region using tracking systems to monitor school buses.
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Palm Utilities & Students ‘Lend Hands’ in Support of UAE’s World Expo 2020 Bid

UAE, October 12, 2013 – Palm Utilities (PU), a Dubai World company, has announced that it has invited 2,020 students from across the UAE to participate in a unique initiative to support the UAE’s World Expo 2020 bid.  Imprints of the student’s hands will be collectively displayed on a giant banner depicting the Dubai Expo 2020 logo.

Marwan Al Naqi, CEO of Palm Utilities, said: “This initiative reflects the heightened awareness among all members of society about UAE’s World Expo 2020 bid. It also highlights the huge public interest in supporting our bid to host the premier event. All sectors of society must literally join hands to bring the expo to the UAE, especially as the country is a leading advocate of intercultural communication and camaraderie and humanitarian bonds among the peoples of the world.”
“Under the wise guidance of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Dubai has become an important international trade hub with state-of-the art infrastructure, a world-class business environment, and home to a rich cultural heritage and a social fabric characterized by solidarity and harmony among all. All these factors make Dubai the perfect host of World Expo 2020, breathing life into the event’s slogan of ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’,” Al Naqi added.
“If Dubai’s expo bid is successful it will culminate the vision of our wise leadership to build cultural, intellectual, and scientific bridges with other nations in order to forge a better future for all. Rest assured, hosting the World Expo 2020  will give us a premier platform for promoting creativity and innovation in a bid to advance the process of economic, cultural and social transformation globally, as well as facilitate access to innovative solutions, leverage growth opportunities, and address current and future challenges,” said Al Naqi.
Mrs. Hamdah Yousif Lootah, Chairperson of the Dubai Modern Education School Board of Directors, said: “The Dubai Modern Education School thanks Palm Utilities for joining hands with us to support the UAE’s World Expo 2020 bid by launching an initiative where school students drew the Dubai Expo 2020 logo. As a main backer of UAE’s World Expo 2020 bid, the Dubai Modern Education School has put the Dubai Expo 2020 logo on display at its buildings and has organized many events and activities to support the bid and building more awareness about the event amongst the students in a daily manner.”
“We made sure school students were part of efforts to support UAE’s World Expo 2020 bid. This reflects our faith in the ability of the future generation to build the nation. There is no doubt whatsoever that World Expo 2020 will open up massive opportunities for the region and will bring it closer to other nations and regions. Furthermore, it will give us the opportunity to take up innovative ideas and new concepts that will serve as important additions to our quest for excellence and success,” Al Naqi concluded.
Dubai is one of four remaining cities contending to host the 2020 World Expo; the other candidates include São Paulo, Brazil; Izmir, Turkey; and Ekaterinburg, Russia. Paris-based Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) will go through the votes cast by its 167 member nations on November 27th to decide which city will host the expo.
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UAE’s Growing Student Population Creates Urgent Need for More Schools Across the Country

GETEX Spring 2013’s General Education segment to present comprehensive information about new education providers and summer camps
UAE, Febraury 28th, 2013 – UAE’s student population has increased 7 per cent over the last five years and is expected to grow exponentially in the coming years, according to data released by International Conferences and Exhibitions LLC (IC&E), organiser of GETEX, which is the most effective and result-driven forum for student recruitment in the Middle East and Asia. This underlines the urgent need to introduce new schools across the country and meet the rising demand for quality education. At a recent private education forum held in Abu Dhabi, education officials pointed out that by 2020, nearly AED 4 billion would need to be invested into private education in Abu Dhabi alone, to ensure that there is sufficient capacity to cope with demand.

Given this industry outlook, the upcoming edition of GETEX Spring, which will be held in Dubai from April 17 to 19, 2013, will feature a General Education segment that will present school-goers with a gateway of information on day-scholar, residential/boarding schools and summer camps. With a host of new schools being featured at GETEX each year, parents will have an opportunity to select education providers that best match their requirements.
       
Anselm Godinho, Managing Director, IC&E, comments, “The UAE’s private education sector is among the biggest in the world and is set to grow further given the rapid rise of the student population in the country. Parents today need to be well-informed about the options they have in terms of the schools they can enrol their children into, and this is where the General Education segment at GETEX will prove invaluable. It will help students and parents make informed and timely decisions that could go a long way in determining a student’s academic development.”  
GETEX Spring 2013, which marks the 25th edition of the show, will gather thousands of education industry stakeholders to provide a dedicated networking platform that supports the long-term growth and development of the region’s education sector. Apart from its General Education segment, this silver jubilee edition of GETEX will feature Higher Education and Professional Training segments, and will also focus on Sports Education, Education Tourism and Education Resources & Supplies.