Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) held orientation sessions for Grade 10 and 11 outstanding students who will soon travel to various destinations as part of Sheikh Mohamad bin Zayed grant for the school year 2014 aka Summer Abroad Program. This program is a generous grant of His Highness General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Deputy Supreme Commander of the U.A.E. Armed Forces and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Education Council. Parents, chaperons and providers involved with the program attended the sessions, in order to brief them on the applicable procedures and mandates.
A number of 500 Abu Dhabi school students were selected to join the program this year. Among the criteria governing the selection of top students was academic performance i.e. scoring 85% or more, their behavior at school and participation in extracurricular activities. The program, which is organized for the 9th year in a row, includes 420 male students and 80 female students. The G10 and G11 students will fly to the United States of America, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and Ireland. They will study English and leadership skills for a period of four weeks from 29/7/2014 until 30/8/2014.
Mr. Ahmad Al-Shamsi, ADEC’s General Services Division Manager and the Project Manager, said that the Program reflects the great support provided by Abu Dhabi prudent leadership for students. "The program will help our students improve their academic and personal experience and skills. It will also give them a chance to be self-dependent, allow them to enhance their English, leadership skills, closely interact with other cultures and explore various educational opportunities", he emphasized.
Al-Shamsi added that the orientation program included several workshops to introduce students to their destinations, training program, accommodation, excursions, hosting families in addition to their obligations and responsibilities while being abroad. The chaperons accompanying the students will act as a link between ADEC and students and are reporting on student progress through ADEC’s portal on weekly basis.
Male students will stay among carefully selected host families in order to improve their English language skills through immersion into the local community of the country of destination, while the girls will reside in the university accommodation of the chosen city.
Moreover, a full program will be offered to students including visiting educational, cultural and tourist sites, under the supervision of their chaperons. All students will be assessed after completion of the program to measure the level of achieving its set goals and objectives.