Ministry of Community Development (MOCD) Launches Second Phase of Community Schools in Al Zawraa School at Ajman
With the Ministry of Education the second phase of the community schools, one of the initiatives of Education & Human Resources Council in Al Zawraa Primary School formerly known as “Aysha Bint Abdulla” in the emirate of Ajman with the participation of representatives from related authorities. The second phase targets Sharjah, Ajman and Um Al Qiwain which was launched last May in the attendance of His Highness Sheikh Abdulla Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation, Chairman of Education & Human Resources Council in Fatma Bint Mubarak School in Ras Al Khaimah, in the second quarter of 2017.
The launch was attended by Sheikha Azza Bint Abdulla Al Nuaimi, Director General of Humaid Bin Rashid Al Nuaimi Charity Establishment, Her Excellency Hessa Bint Essa Bu Humaid, Minister of Community Development, Her Excellency Jamila Bint Salem Musabah Al Muhairi, Minister of State for General Education, Excellency Dr. Saeed Saif Al Matroushi, Secretary General of the Executive Council in Ajman, as well as a number of officials from the Ministries of Community Development & Education and representatives from different authorities in Ajman, attended part of the activities that were organized in cooperation with different public and private authorities in support of the role of community schools and their vital and important role in consolidating relationships between a student and his parent to achieve family cohesion through the attendance of the parents and their children in the programs of the interactive community schools leading to the creation of a positive and happy environment that give the family an atmosphere of intimacy, confidence and reassurance. The activities of the community schools include entertaining education and cultural programs that bring together students, parents, teachers and those institutions who are implementing these programs and activities, after school hours on a regular and sustainable basis.
Furthermore, Her Excellency the Minister of Community Development,emphasized that the idea of community schools coincides with the directives of the UAE government, vision 2021 and national agenda, to enhance positive and active participation between parents and children and promote long-term positive interaction through various programs, activities, initiatives and partnerships that stimulate learning, giving and creativity.
She said: “The community schools embody community educational ideas with innovative activities and a wider and more complex audience. After official working hours, the schools attract all the categories of the community and partnering institutions with different activities that target a sustainable forum to enhance communication, participation, innovation and achieve responsibility, happiness and positivity.
Her Excellency emphasized that education was and will remain a community matter; the idea of community schools embodies the adopted concepts of the Ministry of Community Development (MOCD) to enrich the educational and social environments with a number of creative ideas and targeted initiatives. “The Ministry of Community Development (MOCD) intends to expand the role and scope of the community schools and include all the education zones in the UAE, since, this project has the advantages of enhancing loyalty, belongingness and national identity to achieve the vision of UAE government and national agenda.
Furthermore, Her Excellency Jamila Bint Salem Musabah Al Muhairi, Minister of State for General Education, revealed that the community schools project emerged from a broad, sustainable, multi-purpose ad objective future education vision which strengthen the efforts of the Ministry of Education to make emirati schools a place for fun and creative activities and at the same time create a homogeneous community that include the integration and harmonized society with a new motivated horizon.
Her Excellency said: “The community schools today took a new perspective thanks to the success of the first phase which encouraged us to expand the scope of the project especially after the interaction and participation of the parents and students from one side and the institutes from the other side. The idea of the project was highly appreciated and accepted from the community members and this encouraged all the members of the educational field to support the community members to achieve a kind of convergence and exchange of knowledge, entertaining and targeted activities.
Her Excellency Jamila Al Muhairi reiterated that the project has yielded educational outcomes since it effectively contributes to increase the family bonds between parents and their children and changes the stereotype about school being a place for learning only but extended to make it a place to achieve psychological, intellectual and spiritual balance for the student.
“Through this ambitious project which comes in partnership with the Ministry of Community Development (MOCD) to create and develop and national vision that would support the efforts of education progress, noting that the project adds a new and significant dimension to the UAE vision 2021 in achieving a qualitative education shared by all related parties and taking the responsibilities of building promising national generations possessing global characteristics and skills of the century who are recognized for their thoughts, responsibilities, creativity, innovation and knowledge. Citizenship now is an integral part of the character of the emirati school students, a goal we have always sought to achieve as much as possible with the various available methods and ways”, Her Excellency added.
Her Excellency concluded that the Ministry of Education through the community schools project aims to disseminate important educational messages and organize several awareness campaigns such as the introduction to early childhood through organized mobile exhibitions in the UAE schools to highlight the importance of child growth and development, how to deal with a child from birth to age 8. The purpose is to achieve positive results that would impact and reflect the development of the child, investment in his future in a scientific and thoughtful manner to refine his personality and build his future correctly.
It is worth mentioning to know that following the idea and implementation of the community schools, they achieved great success and are now in the second phase towards a new horizon of expansion and development. The Ministry of Community Development (MOCD) is actively partnering with the Ministry of Education to provide more services that can be used through the opening of schools to community participation.
The community schools have achieved several results in the first phase: support the skills of students and raise their talents significantly, increase the awareness of parents to attend the school and share the interests and activities with their children, create an environment of happiness and positive among the school’s surrounding community, eliminate psychological barriers, erase stereotype images of school and its role, improve the students’ abilities to learn and increase their motivation to remain in an educational atmosphere.The launch of the second phase of the community schools in Al Zawraa School in Ajman, began with a youth brainstorming session named “Youth & Hope” presented by Ajman Youth Council, cards production workshop to train participants on the modern techniques of designing post cards presented by Community Development Center in Ajman, “No for Obesity” workshop which highlighted the dangers of obesity, how to adopt healthy habits for a better healthy life presented by Ajman Youth Center.Dubai Foundation for Women and Children gave a presentation tilted “You are a Princess” for girls to enhance their self-confidence. The community development schools in its second phase, also included the events of disseminating happiness and positivity values organized by the national program for happiness and quality of life, in addition to, the awareness of students with the values of field work and summer activities and their impact on their professional future; the positive role of parents in supporting their children; introducing parents and students to application “Wajehny” i.e. “direct me in English” to enhance the meaning of summer field work, which is adopted by the Ministry of Human Resources & Emiratization.
Additionally, the events included competitions for children by the professionals’ tournament committee and a workshop on the ways of improving psychological and emotional intelligence for the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, dissemination of arts culture; Abu Dhabi Central Bank also presented a workshop called “Spend Correctly” to enhance the concepts of savings among individuals.
