Dundee’s Al-Maktoum Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies welcomed their first group of cultural exchange students from the United Arab Emirates today. (Monday June 23)
The 23-strong group attend the all-female Zayed University and their three-week long visit is a result of the links established between Dundee and Dubai during a mission to the Middle East last year.
During their stay the students will spend their mornings studying at the Institute and in the afternoons they will take part in a programme of visits to see the sights of Scotland.
Today ( Monday) the group were welcomed by Professor Abd al-Fattah El-Awaisi, principal of the Al-Maktoum Institute. In the afternoon they visited Dundee City Chambers for an official welcome from Lord Provost John Letford.
Professor El-Awaisi said: “We are delighted to welcome the students from Zayed University to Scotland. We hope this will be the first of many such exchange trips. All of these students have been identified as potential leaders in their own field of study and they will be the top administrators and decision makers in many key areas in the future. I certainly hope that some of them may choose to return to Dundee to study with us for a Masters degree or a PhD. We have organised a varied programme for our visitors and I am certain they will enjoy their short stay with us in Scotland.”
Among the companies being visited by the students are DC Thomson and Grampian Television.
They will also pay a visit to the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh on Thursday where they will be met by Kate McLean MSP for Dundee West and will be present for First Minister’s Questions.
In 1998 Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates took a major step in the development of higher education in the Emirates with the founding of Zayed University. Sheikh Zayed in Abu Dhabi and the Maktoum family in Dubai had led the Emirates through an extraordinary period of economic growth. To achieve that growth with a relatively small population of Emiratis had required a large number of expatriates and they would be required for the foreseeable future.
As a result Sheikh Zayed recognized the need to have well-educated Emirati women in leadership positions going forward.
With that in mind he founded Zayed University for National women with its mission to develop the future professional leaders of the country.
The first graduates entered the workplace in June of 2002 to the acclaim of local employers. Some graduates have also gone on to graduate schools in the UK, USA and elsewhere.
The University stresses the development of communication skills, the ability to function in multicultural settings, technological skills, teamwork and leadership skills, critical thinking and problem-solving skills across its academic programmes.
English is the language of instruction. The six colleges within the University cover Business Sciences, Information Sciences, Communications and Media Sciences, Family Sciences, Education and Arts and Sciences.
