Jameela Al Muhairi, Minister of State for Education. Courtesy Qudwa
Jameela Al Muhairi, Minister of State for Education. Courtesy Qudwa
Jameela Al Muhairi, Minister of State for Education. Courtesy Qudwa
Jameela Al Muhairi, Minister of State for Education. Courtesy Qudwa

Minister urges parents to ban modern technology and let children play outside


Salam Al Amir
  • English
  • Arabic

The UAE’s Minister of State for Education has called on parents of young children to ban electronic games and encourage them to play more outside.

Jameelah Al Muhairi said modern technology was impacting children’s ability to explore outdoors, to take risks, and to learn through experience.

Her comments came at the start of a major conference aimed at improving early child learning across the UAE.

More than 1,000 educational leaders and teachers came together at the event to discuss solutions to the increasing challenges faced by schools in the country.

“We ask parents to ban their children from using electronic items with visual displays but they don’t know how to keep them busy,” Mrs Al Muhairi said.

“Parents need to be educated about the stages of a child’s development so they can come up with the right type of activities for them.

“When I was a child I played away from my parents with other children in our neighbourhood so much that my mother had to drag me back home.

“But today children are dependent on adults for even the simplest things. This conference is a great opportunity to help advance efforts to teach children during their most critical period of learning and development.”

The three-day early learning conference began on Monday at the Teachers Training Institute in the emirate of Ajman.

It was organised in collaboration with UAE’s Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, the International Bureau of Education and the United Nations Children’s Fund.

Experts from around the world attended the event, including Professor Steven Barnett, director of the National Institute for Early Education Research in the United States, and Dr Mmantsetsa Marope, head of the International Bureau of Education.

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Read more:

Parents warned against children’s addiction to internet

How to keep the kids off their electronic devices during the UAE’s summer

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Dr Marope said early childhood education was imperative in any society that wished to invest in the long-term success and prosperity of its people.

Addressing the conference, Mrs Al Muhairi said a lack of qualified staff in early childhood learning was one area that the UAE’s education sector needed to address.

She said a second cause for concern was the low number of early learning centres able to provide high-quality teaching to young children.

“Our ambition here is to come up with a magical equation that will transform early childhood care and education in the UAE,” she said.

“One that will attain children’s happiness and wellbeing and simultaneously achieve a high standard in education outcomes so that children can reach their full potential.”

Mrs Al Muhairi also launched a number of new initiatives at the conference designed to boost childhood learning.

One scheme involving both the Ministry of Education and the French non-profit group Ensemble pour l’Education de la Petite Enfance - or Together for Early Childhood Education – will distribute videos to parents in the UAE showing how best to engage with their children and assist their learning.

She also announced that her team were working on an early draft of a new childhood education law and preparing training programs aimed at enhancing teacher skills.

“We are also in the process of developing an integrative curriculum for kindergarten, first and second grades,” said Mrs Al Muhairi.

The biog:

From: Wimbledon, London, UK

Education: Medical doctor

Hobbies: Travelling, meeting new people and cultures 

Favourite animals: All of them 

Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
In numbers

Number of Chinese tourists coming to UAE in 2017 was... 1.3m

Alibaba’s new ‘Tech Town’  in Dubai is worth... $600m

China’s investment in the MIddle East in 2016 was... $29.5bn

The world’s most valuable start-up in 2018, TikTok, is valued at... $75bn

Boost to the UAE economy of 5G connectivity will be... $269bn 

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

On sale: Now

The%C2%A0specs%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4.4-litre%2C%20twin-turbo%20V8%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eeight-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E617hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E750Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Efrom%20Dh630%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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The specs

Price: From Dh180,000 (estimate)

Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged and supercharged in-line four-cylinder

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic

Power: 320hp @ 5,700rpm

Torque: 400Nm @ 2,200rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 9.7L / 100km

'Cheb%20Khaled'
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ESSENTIALS

The flights 
Fly Etihad or Emirates from the UAE to Moscow from 2,763 return per person return including taxes. 
Where to stay 
Trips on the Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian cost from US$16,995 (Dh62,414) per person, based on two sharing.

Married Malala

Malala Yousafzai is enjoying married life, her father said.

The 24-year-old married Pakistan cricket executive Asser Malik last year in a small ceremony in the UK.

Ziauddin Yousafzai told The National his daughter was ‘very happy’ with her husband.

UK-EU trade at a glance

EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years

Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products

Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries

Smoother border management with use of e-gates

Cutting red tape on import and export of food

Tips to stay safe during hot weather
  • Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
  • Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
  • Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
  • Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
  • Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
  • Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
  • Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)