His Excellency Sheikh Hamdan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, received recently her Excellency Barbara Leaf, US Ambassador to the UAE, in the Minister’s office in Abu Dhabi. During the visit, they discussed aspects of cooperation and the promotion and consolidation of relations in the scientific, educational, cultural, and research fields.
His Excellency Sheikh Hamdan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, during the meeting, commended the level of American higher education institutions, and the importance of sending students on scholarships to the finest of these global universities; for its positive impact on their lives, to hone their skills and abilities, and to get to know the different cultures and developed countries, which will optimally qualify them to enter the labor market and participate in the development and evolution of the UAE. His Excellency explained that the UAE sends its students to all the countries of the world, such as East Asia (China and Japan), European countries, and the United States and Canada, stressing the UAE’s interest in the rankings of universities in various countries around the world, and in encouraging higher education institutions in the country to do so. His Excellency the Minister also stressed the importance of the role of women in education and development of society, as the UAE was pioneering in the subject of bridging the gap between the two genders. So the “UAE Gender Balance Council” has been established, which confirms the efforts of the UAE in the activation of the role of women as an essential partner for the man in making the future, who have all the rights to education, health, employment, political participation, and other areas of life.
The Ambassador expressed her willingness to increase the number of students on scholarships to study at American universities, promote student exchanges between the two countries, and exchange experiences, advice, studies, research, and visits of specialists, in a way that contributes to the development and modernization of the educational process. She also indicated that the US has nearly 2700 scholarship students from several authorities. At the end of the meeting, the Ambassador expressed her admiration for the services provided by the Ministry to the students, and its continuing commitment to adopting the highest practices and systems that contribute to the provision of advanced educational system in the country, and pays great attention to encourage students to continue their studies, thus contributing to supplying the UAE with efficient and qualified national cadres.