Dundee’s Al-Maktoum Institute has welcomed around 50 female students from the UAE and Qatar to its 2011 Academic Training Programme (ATP) in Multiculturalism and Leadership. This is the biggest group of students to come to Scotland so far and they are taking part in the 11th educational programme of its kind, including Summer Schools, organised by the Institute since the first in 2003.
And it brings the total number of students visiting Dundee for programmes at the Institute to over 400. The Institute estimates that the visit will boost the local economy by £200,000.
On Tuesday, January 25 students from eight educational centres in the UAE and Qatar are heading to Dundee City Chambers to meet Lord Provost John Letford. “There is a trend for an increasing role for Emirati women in today’s UAE and Qatar where they are involved in Government, the law and politics – and that is strongly encouraged by their nations’ leaders,” said Institute Principal, Professor Malory Nye. “There is no doubt that the Al-Maktoum Institute is playing a significant and on-going role in this development. Our ATP this year builds on the excellent work we’ve been undertaking at the Institute with young women regarded as potential leaders in their society.
“Here in Dundee, we are working to educate the next generation of scholars, both nationally and internationally, in the study of Islam and Muslims and multiculturalism to enable them to face the challenges and opportunities of today.
“We enjoy ATP students’ visits and the feedback from previous ATP graduands has been heartening. We are pleased that the Lord Provost is, once again, extending to them a warm welcome to the city.”
The students’ four-week programme offers an interesting and stimulating schedule of social, historic and cultural elements. The visit of the third and fourth-year students forms a key part of their degree course studies and the various activities arranged by the Institute have been tailored to advance their overall learning and understanding of Scotland and the challenges of global dialogue and exchange. Visits to the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, the University of Aberdeen, the House of Lords and Westminster Abbey in London are part of the itinerary. Many visits and outings in the Dundee area are also planned – and, of course, time for shopping has been allowed, too.
