His Excellency Sheikh “Hamdan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan” launched on Monday (3/3/2014) the “Advanced Scholarship System”, in order to provide electronic scholarship services via the internet and smart phone applications.
His Excellency announced during “GITEX Technology 2013” exhibition last October that “the student scholarship application is in the demo phase, and scholarship students of the second semester for (2013-2014) will benefit from it, and that was in line with the directives of His Highness Sheikh “Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum” on (22nd of May 2013), for the various federal and local government authorities to transform to a smart government and provide their services in an innovative and easy way through the customers’ mobile devices, which should be implemented within (24) months of launching the “Smart Government Initiative”. His Highness then stressed that the authorities are able to provide innovative solutions in the field of smart phone applications, mobiles, and text messages, to guarantee receiving the government services around the clock in a smooth, highly efficient, and transparent method that meets the needs and expectations of customers, in order to make them feel the importance of this communication, and in line with the government trends to achieve high level of welfare for citizens and residents as per the “UAE Vision 2021”, and in less than (24) months, or even less than a year.
His Excellency Sheikh “Hamdan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan” affirmed that launching the scholarships system, with its electronic and smart parts, is considered an accumulative success which resulted from several services that preceded it, that were transformed during the year to smart services, pointing out that the “Scholarships System”, for Emirati students seeking scholarships and for scholars, facilitates the procedures of all matters related to scholarships through the internet and the students’ smart phones, which saves time and effort, and provides larger opportunities of communication between the Ministry and the students, and between the students and the Cultural Attachés.
His Excellency clarified that the “Advanced Scholarships System” will provide over (40) services that serve the student starting from the scholarship application, admission follow-up, registration and travel procedures after admission, and follow-up on the academic, financial, and administrative affairs of the student by the Ministry or the Cultural Attachés.
His Excellency Sheikh “Hamdan Bin Mubarak” said that providing these services electronically and through the smart applications will contribute to enabling the concerned authorities to follow up on the academic performance of students, and check on the them to make sure they feel comfortable and safe, in order for them to achieve the goal of the scholarship, to pursue their studies as planned, and to return home and participate in the building of the State.
The Ministry awarded (4083) male and female students on scholarships during (2005-2012) to study for “Bachelor’s Degrees” and (1182) male and female students during the same period for “postgraduate studies”. Whereas (912) male and female students received their “Bachelor’s Degrees” and (528) male and female students received their “postgraduate degrees” during the same period.
This system is expected to contribute in controlling the scholarship process and the obstacles that hinder the completion of studies, since the specialized analytical study recently conducted by the Ministry according to the directives of His Excellency Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, showed that, regarding all matters related to scholars studying abroad from (2005-2012), in order to support the Ministry in determining the standards of studying abroad on scholarships, and in connecting the scholarship specialties with the “National Agenda”, the study showed that the percentage of students who cancelled their scholarships and did not complete their studies reached (56.6%) for the Bachelor’s Degree, and (45.17%) for the Master’s degree. Therefore, the provision of scholarship services through the smart applications, and the periodical reports issued for the student, the parents, or the scholarship authority, will contribute to the reduction of these percentages.
