Dubai: A group of female university students representing the UAE recently completed a multiculturalism and leadership skills programme in Scotland organised by Al Maktoum College of Higher Education.
The Hamdan Bin Mohammad Smart University (HBMSU) students were among 72 female students from 17 universities, colleges and institutions who participated in the Academic Training Programme organised under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance.
They were the first batch of students from the university to participate in the 26th session of the programme called ’History, Culture and the Contemporary World,’ which aims to promote dialogues with global cultures.
Attending the graduation, Dr Mansour Al Awar, chancellor of HBMSU, said he is proud of the HBMSU female students’ skills and abilities to enhance the interaction between the UAE and international cultures, pointing out that they succeeded in representing the country in Scotland.
‘They have provided a model for understanding, coexistence, and tolerance, the UAE’s main pillars inspired by the wisdom of Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan,” he said.
The student’s participation falls under the framework of a memorandum of understanding between the two sides signed to instil the values of mutual understanding and multiculturalism among students and professors of the university.
It comes in line with the vision of the wise leadership to promote openness, understanding, and peaceful co-existence to boost the UAE’s leadership on the international stage. The programme provided the HBMSU female students with a unique cultural and civilizational experience that paved the way for an in-depth understanding of Scotland’s long history and its role in contemporary world.
“Our female students’ participation in the programme is a step forward in providing them with extensive educational experiences in the areas of cultural pluralism and civilisational participation and providing them with the skills of effective leadership in the 21st century,” he said.
He added that this is in line with the directives of Shaikh Hamdan, who is the president of the university, to invest in young people “as they are considered to bring ‘hope, optimism, positive energy, creative thinking, openness to the world, and the ability to develop for the better.”
Apart from HBMSU, the programme also attracted the its largest participation ever from other universities and colleges including the UAE University, Abu Dhabi University, American University in Dubai, University of Sharjah, Zayed University and Paris-Sorbonne Abu Dhabi University among others.
The programme featured a series of lectures, visits, seminars and discussions.
