Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) and Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC) signed an agreement for providing 50 annual scholarships for each of the academic years 2010, 2011 and 2012 to national students. The Scholarship Program will include Bachelor and Master’s Degrees in history of culture and heritage with particular focus on Museum studies. According to the agreement, TDIC will recruit the selected students upon the successful completion of their studies to work in the museums which are being constructed in the Saadiyat Island’s Cultural District.
The agreement was signed by H.E Dr. Mugheer Khamis Al Khaili, Director General of ADEC, and H.E. Mubarak Hamad Al Muhairi, Managing Director of TDIC in the presence of a number of ADEC and TDIC officials.
Dr. Al Khaili said that “ADEC and TDIC consider our young nationals as the most precious national wealth. We will cooperate together to empower them and provide them with opportunities to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills. Both organizations realize the importance of higher education and its role in achieving the sustainable social and economic development needs of Abu Dhabi.”
Speaking after the signing of the agreement, Dr. Al Khalil pointed out that “such scholarship program aims to provide our students with opportunities to study important and necessary disciplines and acquire knowledge and expertise in the area of cultural and museum studies in order to meet the employment needs of governmental departments and private enterprises in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. This comes in line with Abu Dhabi Government’s vision for developing qualified national human capital for meeting the needs, and contributing to the development, of all sectors.”
Only students meeting the admission requirements of the institutions accredited and agreed upon by both ADEC and TDIC will be selected, added Dr. Al Khaili. “Priority for the Scholarships will be directed toward programs at Paris-Sorbonne University in Abu Dhabi (PSUAD). ADEC and TDIC will collectively set the minimum requirements which any applicant for a Scholarship in any given school year must satisfy,” he emphasized.
TDIC’s Managing Director H.E. Mubarak Hamad Al Muhairi said: “This agreement demonstrates our commitment to deliver education and training opportunities in the cultural sector to Emiratis. These scholarships will provide 150 students with invaluable work experience, in turn strengthening UAE’s cultural offering for the future. This is integral to the cultural vision of Abu Dhabi and its leaders, Their Highnesses Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.”
ADEC will provide funding for all scholarships in accordance with its applicable policies. Funding will include tuition, stipends, accommodation, travel and other associated cost and expenses for each student, Dr. Al Khaili explained. “The Scholarship Program will continue until all students graduate and will be renewable at the start of the Academic Year 2013, if necessary, through the implementation of a new agreement to be signed by the two organizations,” he added.
ADEC and TDIC will coordinate with all schools and universities for developing the programs necessary for supporting art and culture disciplines in order to develop the human capital required for staffing the museums and cultural institutions in the Saadiyat Islands’ Cultural District shortly before they are inaugurated in 2013 and 2014.
