Two UAE schools have been shortlisted for a prestigious international competition to find the best schools in the world.
Abu Dhabi’s Mamoura British Academy and Dubai’s Gems Modern Academy are in the running in separate categories for the World’s Best School Prizes 2023.
The Gems school is on a shortlist of 10 in the innovation category, while Mamoura is up for the environmental action award.
The schools could each win $50,000 (Dh184,000).
Vikas Pota, founder of T4 Education and the World’s Best School Prizes, congratulated both establishments for being nominated.
“Schools across the globe will learn from the story of these trailblazing UAE institutions and the culture they have cultivated,” he said.
The organisers praised Mamoura for its dedication to environmental issues.
They lauded the school for taking a lead on sustainable action as the global spotlight falls on the UAE as host of Cop28.
“Uniquely, its work is led almost entirely by a dedicated team of student ambassadors from ages three-18, tirelessly pursuing the Global Goals [Sustainable Development Goals] and the outcomes of the One Young World Summit and helping the school achieve Eco Green flag status,” the award organisers said.
Environmental schemes at the school include the use of hydroponic gardens where plants are grown without soil.
The school also underwent a retrofit, in which pupils prioritised energy reduction with the installation of light detection sensors in classrooms, as well as water fountains which convert air into drinking water.
If the school is successful, the prize money will be used to create a desert/forest school to explore the “harmony between people and nature”.
Gems Modern Academy was praised for “shaping the future of education and empowering students to thrive in an ever-evolving world”.
“Recognising the need to prepare students for an uncertain future, Gems Modern Academy introduced a number of technological innovations into its curriculum and practices as early as 2001, to include the region's first online report card system, developed entirely by students and teachers,” the organisers said.
“The school even has a bring your own device programme, through which students from Grade 2 onwards bring their own learning devices.”
Student-led projects to explore blockchain, AI and robotics were also singled out by the organisers.
The shortlist will be whittled down to three finalists in each category in September.
The winners of each of the five categories will be announced in October, with $250,000 in prize money shared equally.
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About Housecall
Date started: July 2020
Founders: Omar and Humaid Alzaabi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech
# of staff: 10
Funding to date: Self-funded
Aayan%E2%80%99s%20records
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Army of the Dead
Director: Zack Snyder
Stars: Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Ana de la Reguera
Three stars
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Day 3 stumps
New Zealand 153 & 249
Pakistan 227 & 37-0 (target 176)
Pakistan require another 139 runs with 10 wickets remaining
Essentials
The flights
Whether you trek after mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda or the Congo, the most convenient international airport is in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. There are direct flights from Dubai a couple of days a week with RwandAir. Otherwise, an indirect route is available via Nairobi with Kenya Airways. Flydubai flies to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, via Entebbe in Uganda. Expect to pay from US$350 (Dh1,286) return, including taxes.
The tours
Superb ape-watching tours that take in all three gorilla countries mentioned above are run by Natural World Safaris. In September, the company will be operating a unique Ugandan ape safari guided by well-known primatologist Ben Garrod.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, local operator Kivu Travel can organise pretty much any kind of safari throughout the Virunga National Park and elsewhere in eastern Congo.
'The Batman'
Stars:Robert Pattinson
Director:Matt Reeves
Rating: 5/5
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Central%20Bank's%20push%20for%20a%20robust%20financial%20infrastructure
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