• Pupils at The Indian High School, the UAE's largest school, return to class after the summer holidays on Monday. Pawan Singh / The National
    Pupils at The Indian High School, the UAE's largest school, return to class after the summer holidays on Monday. Pawan Singh / The National
  • Pupils and staff will be required to wear masks indoors to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Masks are not required outside. Pawan Singh / The National
    Pupils and staff will be required to wear masks indoors to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Masks are not required outside. Pawan Singh / The National
  • Most of the country's pupils returned to school on Monday, while others are expected to start later in the week. Pawan Singh / The National
    Most of the country's pupils returned to school on Monday, while others are expected to start later in the week. Pawan Singh / The National
  • A flash mob made up of high school pupils dances at one school during a welcoming ceremony. Pawan Singh / The National
    A flash mob made up of high school pupils dances at one school during a welcoming ceremony. Pawan Singh / The National
  • Pupils attend the first assembly at The Indian High School in Oud Metha, Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
    Pupils attend the first assembly at The Indian High School in Oud Metha, Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
  • Dubai British School pupils arrive for the first day of school after the summer holidays. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Dubai British School pupils arrive for the first day of school after the summer holidays. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Dubai British School pupils arrive for the first day of school after the summer holidays. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Dubai British School pupils arrive for the first day of school after the summer holidays. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Dubai British School pupils arrive for the first day of school after the summer holidays. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Dubai British School pupils arrive for the first day of school after the summer holidays. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Pupils from Al Mamoura Academy in Abu Dhabi on their first day of classes after the summer break. Victor Besa / The National
    Pupils from Al Mamoura Academy in Abu Dhabi on their first day of classes after the summer break. Victor Besa / The National
  • Pupils from Al Mamoura Academy in Abu Dhabi on their first day of classes after the summer break. Victor Besa / The National
    Pupils from Al Mamoura Academy in Abu Dhabi on their first day of classes after the summer break. Victor Besa / The National
  • Pupils from Al Mamoura Academy in Abu Dhabi on their first day of classes after the summer break. Victor Besa / The National
    Pupils from Al Mamoura Academy in Abu Dhabi on their first day of classes after the summer break. Victor Besa / The National
  • Pupils from Al Mamoura Academy in Abu Dhabi on their first day of classes after the summer break. Victor Besa / The National
    Pupils from Al Mamoura Academy in Abu Dhabi on their first day of classes after the summer break. Victor Besa / The National
  • Pupils from Al Mamoura Academy in Abu Dhabi on their first day of classes after the summer break. Victor Besa / The National
    Pupils from Al Mamoura Academy in Abu Dhabi on their first day of classes after the summer break. Victor Besa / The National
  • Pupils from Al Mamoura Academy in Abu Dhabi on their first day of classes after the summer break. Victor Besa / The National
    Pupils from Al Mamoura Academy in Abu Dhabi on their first day of classes after the summer break. Victor Besa / The National
  • Children arrive for the first day of school after the summer holidays at Dubai British School. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Children arrive for the first day of school after the summer holidays at Dubai British School. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Parents drop off their children at Dubai British School after the long summer break. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Parents drop off their children at Dubai British School after the long summer break. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Many pupils were up before 6am to catch the school bus. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Many pupils were up before 6am to catch the school bus. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Parents see off their children before classes begin on Monday. Victor Besa / The National
    Parents see off their children before classes begin on Monday. Victor Besa / The National
  • Pupils at Al Mamoura Academy in Abu Dhabi returned to school on Monday. Victor Besa / The National
    Pupils at Al Mamoura Academy in Abu Dhabi returned to school on Monday. Victor Besa / The National
  • A young pupil greets a member of staff on the first day of school at Al Mamoura Academy. Victor Besa / The National
    A young pupil greets a member of staff on the first day of school at Al Mamoura Academy. Victor Besa / The National
  • Head teachers expressed their excitement at having children back on campus. Victor Besa / The National
    Head teachers expressed their excitement at having children back on campus. Victor Besa / The National
  • Children in class on the first day of school at Dubai British School. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Children in class on the first day of school at Dubai British School. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • A child arrives at Dubai British School. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    A child arrives at Dubai British School. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Kephren Sherry, head of primary at Citizens School Dubai, dressed up as superman while principal Tracy Moxley wore a Batman costume and director of learning Janice Butterworth put on a Ninja Turtle costume.
    Kephren Sherry, head of primary at Citizens School Dubai, dressed up as superman while principal Tracy Moxley wore a Batman costume and director of learning Janice Butterworth put on a Ninja Turtle costume.

UAE

Education

Sheikh Mohamed urges school pupils to dream big in classroom broadcast

President's message to never stop learning heralded the new school year

Anam Rizvi
Anam Rizvi

August 30, 2022

  • English
  • Arabic

President Sheikh Mohamed had a message for pupils and teachers in the first week of the new academic year.

“I urge you to dream big and to never stop learning,” he said to pupils in schools around the UAE. His audio message was sent on Tuesday to children as they returned to their classes after the summer break.

He urged pupils to excel and be determined, and spoke of the role of schools in nurturing young people’s ambitions.

He also spoke of the efforts and commitment of teachers and said they were invaluable to the UAE.

“My children, dreams and ambitions are an important part of life. Your schools will help you nurture your dreams; they are the place where you can imagine what your futures will look like. I urge you to dream big and to never stop learning,” said Sheikh Mohamed.

“I urge you to excel, be determined, set goals, realise your ambitions, and never stop trying. Invest your time in things that would benefit you, your families and your communities.

“When we talk about education, we don’t only mean your time in school. Education is a great pursuit that can only be accomplished with the efforts of families and parents, alongside our society and our countries’ institutions, to help us achieve our goals and ambitions.

“We are proud of you all. Proud of what you will become and what you will accomplish. May God bless you all.”

A pupil from Al Mamoura Academy in Abu Dhabi on their first day of class after summer break. Victor Besa / The National
A pupil from Al Mamoura Academy in Abu Dhabi on their first day of class after summer break. Victor Besa / The National

Pupils across the Emirates returned to school on Monday.

In Dubai, some schools held events for pupils. They included flash mobs at The Indian High School, a treasure hunt at Royal Grammar School Guildford Dubai, and a superhero day at Citizens Schools.

Head teachers and pupils at private schools in the capital on Monday said they were happy that schools had opened with fewer social restrictions as Covid-19 cases decline steadily.

Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge announced protocols for private and charter schools and nurseries and said there would be no physical distancing requirements.

In the absence of bubbles, pupils and teachers are permitted to interact with each other and use different parts of a school building.

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5

Cricket World Cup League 2 Fixtures

Saturday March 5, UAE v Oman, ICC Academy (all matches start at 9.30am)

Sunday March 6, Oman v Namibia, ICC Academy

Tuesday March 8, UAE v Namibia, ICC Academy

Wednesday March 9, UAE v Oman, ICC Academy

Friday March 11, Oman v Namibia, Sharjah Cricket Stadium

Saturday March 12, UAE v Namibia, Sharjah Cricket Stadium

UAE squad

Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri, Muhammad Waseem, CP Rizwan, Vriitya Aravind, Asif Khan, Basil Hameed, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Karthik Meiyappan, Akif Raja, Rahul Bhatia

In the Restaurant: Society in Four Courses
Christoph Ribbat
Translated by Jamie Searle Romanelli
Pushkin Press 

Key features of new policy

Pupils to learn coding and other vocational skills from Grade 6

Exams to test critical thinking and application of knowledge

A new National Assessment Centre, PARAKH (Performance, Assessment, Review and Analysis for Holistic Development) will form the standard for schools

Schools to implement online system to encouraging transparency and accountability

Key findings of Jenkins report
  • Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
  • Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
  • Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
  • Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Match info

Manchester United 4
(Pogba 5', 33', Rashford 45', Lukaku 72')

Bournemouth 1
(Ake 45 2')

Red card: Eric Bailly (Manchester United)

The specs: 2018 BMW R nineT Scrambler

Price, base / as tested Dh57,000

Engine 1,170cc air/oil-cooled flat twin four-stroke engine

Transmission Six-speed gearbox

Power 110hp) @ 7,750rpm

Torque 116Nm @ 6,000rpm

Fuel economy, combined 5.3L / 100km

More coverage from the Future Forum

Empty Words

By Mario Levrero  

(Coffee House Press)
 

Mobile phone packages comparison

Origin
Dan Brown
Doubleday

Women & Power: A Manifesto

Mary Beard

Profile Books and London Review of Books 

Qosty Byogaani

Starring: Hani Razmzi, Maya Nasir and Hassan Hosny

Four stars

RESULT

Manchester United 2 Burnley 2
Man United: Lingard (53', 90' 1)
Burnley: Barnes (3'), Defour (36')

Man of the Match: Jesse Lingard (Manchester United)

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

Skewed figures

In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458. 

LAST-16 EUROPA LEAGUE FIXTURES

Wednesday (Kick-offs UAE)

FC Copenhagen (0) v Istanbul Basaksehir (1) 8.55pm

Shakhtar Donetsk (2) v Wolfsburg (1) 8.55pm

Inter Milan v Getafe (one leg only) 11pm

Manchester United (5) v LASK (0) 11pm 

Thursday

Bayer Leverkusen (3) v Rangers (1) 8.55pm

Sevilla v Roma  (one leg only)  8.55pm

FC Basel (3) v Eintracht Frankfurt (0) 11pm 

Wolves (1) Olympiakos (1) 11pm 

Related
Results:

6.30pm: Handicap (Turf) | US$175,000 2,410m | Winner: Bin Battuta, Christophe Soumillon (jockey), Saeed bin Suroor (trainer)

7.05pm: UAE 1000 Guineas Trial Conditions (Dirt) | $100,000 | 1,400m | Winner: Al Hayette, Fabrice Veron, Ismail Mohammed

7.40pm: Handicap (T) | $145,000 | 1,000m | Winner: Faatinah, Jim Crowley, David Hayes

8.15pm: Dubawi Stakes Group 3 (D) | $200,000 | 1,200m | Winner: Raven’s Corner, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar

8.50pm: Singspiel Stakes Group 3 (T) | $200,000 | 1,800m | Winner: Dream Castle, Christophe Soumillon, Saeed bin Suroor

9.25pm: Handicap (T) | $175,000 | 1,400m​​​ | Winner: Another Batt, Connor Beasley, George Scott

Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs: 2018 Audi Q5/SQ5

Price, base: Dh183,900 / Dh249,000
Engine: 2.0L, turbocharged in-line four-cylinder /  3.0L, turbocharged V6
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic / Eight-speed automatic
Power: 252hp @ 5,000rpm / 354hp @ 5,400rpm
Torque: 370Nm @ 1,600rpm / 500Nm @ 1,370rpm
Fuel economy: combined 7.2L / 100km / 8.3L / 100km

Five expert hiking tips
    Always check the weather forecast before setting off Make sure you have plenty of water Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon Wear appropriate clothing and footwear Take your litter home with you
The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

Fixtures

Friday Leganes v Alaves, 10.15pm; Valencia v Las Palmas, 12.15am

Saturday Celta Vigo v Real Sociedad, 8.15pm; Girona v Atletico Madrid, 10.15pm; Sevilla v Espanyol, 12.15am

Sunday Athletic Bilbao v Getafe, 8.15am; Barcelona v Real Betis, 10.15pm; Deportivo v Real Madrid, 12.15am

Monday Levante v Villarreal, 10.15pm; Malaga v Eibar, midnight

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Updated: August 30, 2022, 8:45 AM
SchoolsUAE