Tag Archives: education
Rare maps, manuscripts and books on show
Rare maps, manuscripts and books on show Lily B. Libo-on / 13 February 2014 Gulf studies centre exhibiting unique collection as part of fourth Sharjah Light Festival. For the first time, a unique collection of centuries-old cartograph, rare maps and history is in spotlight at the Dr Sultan Al Qasimi Centre of Gulf Studies during the fourth Sharjah Light Festival (SLF) that is simultaneously taking place in 12 locations from 7.30pm to 11pm and until midnight on weekends until February 14. The festival started on February 6. The Sharjah Light Festival show on Dr Sultan Al Qasimi Centre of Gulf Studies. — KT photos by M. Sajjad The 12 sites under special presentation of lights, colour and melody, offering a peek into the region’s history, are Dr Sultan Al Qasimi Centre of Gulf Studies, Sharjah City Municipality, Kuwait Square, Cultural Palace Square, King Faisal Mosque, Al Taqwa (Al Majaz) Mosque, Al Majaz Waterfront, Central Souq, Al Qasba (Internal façade), Hamza Bin Abdul Mottaleb Mosque in Kalba, Dr Shaikh Rashid Ahmed Al Qasimi Mosque in Dibba Al Hisn and Omar Bin Al Khattab Mosque in Khorfakkan. Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Director-General of the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA), said the show at Dr Sultan Al Qassimi Centre of Gulf Studies is particularly special as it highlights the centre’s unique collection of rare maps, manuscripts and books that are several centuries old as well as some stunning specimens and models of European and Arabian ships that played a pioneering role in the maritime history of the region. He said the history of the region and world is illuminated on the façade, as the dome becomes a luminous sphere representing the other half of what exists inside the centre. Dr Sultan Al Qasimi Centre of the Gulf Studies boasts a rich treasure from the personal collection of His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, which had been collected over the decades. With its theme “Capital of Islamic Culture” this year, SLF through its magic of lighting and technology narrates the story of Sharjah’s heritage and architecture and displays the emirate’s beautiful Islamic architecture as well as a modern urban structure that is ideal for the celebration of the festival of lights. Al Midfa said that SCTDA, which is hosting the festival for the fourth year, has been keen to add new, outstanding locations and historical landmarks to the SLF celebrations each year to highlight the emirate’s distinct Arab and Islamic heritage and legacy. Every SLF edition, internationally-acclaimed artists from around the world are invited to join the festival to add special creative touch to bring out the aesthetic grandeur of Sharjah’s historical buildings and modern landscape. lily@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Ministry of Education wins top m-Government award
Ministry of Education wins top m-Government award Sadiq Shaban & Muaz Shabandri / 13 February 2014 Shaikh Mohammed recognises top digital initiatives from governments in the Arab region and beyond. The UAE’s push towards mobile technology and innovation received a further boost on Wednesday with the announcement of mobile government awards. As part of the newly launched mobile government vision in the UAE, the Best m-Government Service Awards recognise innovation by federal and government entities. Shaikh Mohammed presenting an award for the Dubai Police to Major-General Khamis Mattar Al Mazeina, Commander-in-Chief of the force, as other officers look on during the award ceremony on the last day of the Government Summit in Dubai on Wednesday. — KT photos by Shihab he UAE Ministry of Education won the top honour at this year’s awards for its application ‘Abnaai’. The app is an integrated portal that targets students and parents. It provides an interactive environment which allows parents to access education-related services anytime and anywhere using smart phones. Speaking with Khaleej Times, Humaid Mohammed Obeid Al Qattami, Minister of Education, said: “I am really happy about the awards. These services have been designed by our children. This is just the beginning; we have to work hard to keep developing education in the UAE.” The awards presented by His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, also recognised top digital initiatives from governments in the Arab region and beyond. Students from the UAE universities were also honoured on the occasion. Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research received the top prize of Dh1 million in the university category. Students from the university received the award for creating an application to reduce waiting time in a queue. Shaikh Mohammed flashing the victory sign along with Vice-Chancellor Dr Tayeb Kamali and students of the Higher Colleges of Technology. An additional Dh1 million was also awarded to the same university for helping the UAE Ministry of Health create an app that provides a directory to all services provided by the ministry. It can be accessed from any mobile platform, and allows direct interaction with the ministry by submitting applications. “Mobile applications are going to touch every single aspect of our lives. The UAE is clearly placed ahead of most countries in the region with healthcare and education being the main focus areas. Beyond what technology can offer, I must add that we have the right mindset. And that is what makes the difference,” Osman Sultan, CEO du, told Khaleej Times . The awards have been constituted to stimulate and encourage government entities to provide creative and innovative solutions via smart phone applications and mobile phones. muaz@khaleejtimes.com sadiq@khaleejtimes.com The winners > The Best M-Government Service Award received 26 entries in the international category. Land and Transport Authority, Singapore, bagged the award for its My Transport Application, a comprehensive transportation App that includes information on all modes of land transportation, information on events and promotions nearby. > With 42 entries from the Arab world, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry – Kuwait clinched the prize for its MOCI application that creates a channel of communication between the citizens and residents of Kuwait and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in Kuwait. > The winner from Ras Al Khaimah: RAK e-Gov — for RAKPAY – RAK Mobile Payment Gateway, which enables residents to pay Etisalat and utility bills and pay for business licences. > The winner from Ajman: MPDA by Ajman Municipality and Planning Department, an interactive smart channel for the individual and business segments in Ajman. > The winner from Fujairah: smartFUJAIRAH by Fujairah Municipality, an App that runs on Smart phones and tablets, and is a smart services portal for Al Fujairah Municipality, providing access to the municipality’s services at anytime from anywhere. > The winner from Sharjah: Sharjah DPW by Department of Public Works, an App that aims to deliver information and services to individuals and companies securely, smoothly and efficiently by creating an additional communication channel according to high quality standards, that saves time, effort and money for the App users. > The winner from Abu Dhabi: TransAD (The Centre for Regulation of Transport by Hire Cars in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi), a user-friendly taxi booking App that allows customers to book a taxi in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi from different locations determined by the GPS Location of the user’s smart phone. > The winner from Dubai: Dubai Police Application, which features various electronic services that are available in Arabic and English and divided to ‘Traffic Services’ such as ticket payment, ‘Security Services’ such as notification service, community services and public services. > The winner in the University Students Category in the UAE : iQ by Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research – iQ is a complete queuing system designed to make waiting time in a queue a thing of the past; and MOH by Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research, an App that provides a complete directory to ministry of health services that can be accessed from any mobile platform, and allows direct interaction with the ministry by submitting applications and finalizing them. > An appreciation award was presented to the Higher Colleges of Technology for presenting the largest number of Applications (43). news@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Set up own firms, don’t look only for govt jobs: DM chief
Set up own firms, don’t look only for govt jobs: DM chief Sajila Saseendran / 12 February 2014 Hussain Nasser Lootah says government cannot hire all Emiratis and they should start their own companies instead of becoming employees. The government cannot hire all Emiratis and they should start their own companies instead of becoming employees or civil servants, Dubai’s civic chief Hussain Nasser Lootah said at the Dubai Government Summit on Tuesday. Speaking at a session on “Optimising Government Service: The Potential of Public-Private Partnerships,” Lootah said unemployment of citizens was a dangerous indicator that they were heavily relying on government for jobs. “If we start considering citizens as our workforce, we will end up having all of them as employees or civil servants. It is not a healthy mindset. They should stop looking for jobs and instead build ideas for making their own companies and providing jobs to others.” Lootah’s remarks received applause from the audience, including heads of several government departments. He noted that the electronic revolution in each and every household itself has a huge dimension in building specialised projects. “Small and medium companies play an important role in delivering services. The government sector cannot be responsible for hiring all. Young Emiratis should explore such opportunities,” he said. Speaking to Khaleej Times after the session, he said government departments could no longer employ many Emirati graduates. “Media keep saying (government) find jobs for Emiratis and there is unemployment. I don’t agree with it. Most of the government departments have all of them. It is time to reverse the process. “We should study and prepare small projects and ask Emiratis to run them. Every year we have a lot of graduates. Some of them can be employees, but not all. They should be bosses. We need more and more young Emirati men and women to start SMEs.” At the session, he said how private-public partnership should focus on satisfying the customers by meeting their needs within a timeframe. He said the municipality already had partnership with private firms in projects like the upcoming Crocodile Park and the existing waste-to-energy plant that generates electricity from landfill waste. Fadi Ghandour, founder and vice-chairman of the Board of Directors, Aramex, said empowerment of entrepreneurs is a solution for unemployment of youth. He called for financial support from banks, with government’s guarantee, for unemployed youth to start SMEs. Lootah noted that there were a few government initiatives under Tanmia and Mohammed bin Rashid Establishment for SME Development that supported Emiratis to set up SMEs. sajila@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
