United Arab Emirates: Students throng education expo in search of sponsors

United Arab Emirates/May 01, 2018/Source: https://gulfnews.com

Government entities, education institutions guide students in choosing courses and careers.

Hundreds of students from different educational institutions of the country flocked to the education interface exhibition on Yas Island on Tuesday and explored future academic opportunities, sponsorships and programmes.

A number of government entities including the Ministry of Interior, public and private educational institutions also offered students guidelines and avenues to join them through qualifying their tests after Grade 12.

The two-day 5th Education Interface Exhibition and the Middle East Youth Expo, which opened at Du Forum on Yas Island of the capital, will conclude on Wednesday. The event is being held under the patronage of Lt-General Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior.

The exhibition aims to offer future opportunities and guidelines to youth.

Speaking to Gulf News at the Adnoc stand, Fatima Al Za’abi, team leader of admissions and registrations at Adnoc Technical Academy [ATA], said, “We are here to encourage students to register with us and join us; we will sponsor their higher academic qualification and provide them stipend too.”

The starting monthly stipend will be Dh5,000 at Adnoc, while studying, she said. All students who have passed Grade 10th and 12th are able to register under the ATA.

“A lot of students registered with Adnoc on the first day,” she said adding, there are currently 777 students at the ATA. “We want to tell the people about our educational programmes where they will be fully supported and recruited upon completion of their studies.”

The Ministry of Interior’s stand also encouraged students to join the ministry after their Grade 12 and the ministry will sponsor them for their future higher education inside or outside the country.

An official at the stand said, “We will provide them guaranteed jobs, with a fixed monthly salary until they finish their studies and we will finance their studies as well.”

“They need to just register and quality our examinations,” he said.

Students streamed in to the venue in groups to explore the different higher education programmes on offer at different stands.

Fatima Khadar, 17-year-old, from Syria, said, “I visited stands of different universities and found out different specialisation programmes they offer.

“I am happy to find that a lot of universities have been brought under one roof,” the Grade 11th student from Al Israa’ Private School in Al Ain who wants to become a pharmacist in future, said. Another Syrian student from the same grade and school, Shaima Al Amri, 17, said, “I navigated lots of stands along with my classmates. I was looking for some sponsorship for my future studies. I want to pursue my studies in law.”

Amnah Salem, Grade 12 student from Omamah Bint Al Harith Secondary School, said, “I want to enrol in Khalifa University or UAE University for my higher studies but looking for some sponsors to finance my education.”

Salem, an Emirati from Abu Dhabi, wants to pursue bio-medical engineering.

Her classmate, Sara Khalid Al Nabhani, was also looking for sponsors to study engineering at Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi.

“We were looking for sponsorship and exploring study programmes of different universities,” Al Nabhani said.

Cultural education

At a stand in a corner at the venue, three women could be seen weaving different kinds of bags from sheep wool, showcasing hand paintings on wooden boxes called mandoos and preparing big umbrella-shaped lid [makabba], which is used to cover food, giving youth a taste of the local culture.

Ahmad Al Rumaithi, director of Abu Dhabi Centre of Emirates Heritage Club, said, “We intend to highlight the local culture and traditions which our forefathers used to practise in the past.

“We need to preserve them, spread them among youth. If you don’t have a past preserved, you can’t have a future,” he said.

Handicrafts on show also included small woollen carpets, pillow covers and woollen strings for decorations.

Source:

https://gulfnews.com/news/uae/education/students-throng-education-expo-in-search-of-sponsors-1.2214949