Hamdan Foundation Celebrates Exceptional Contributions With 2024 Educational Awards

The Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Medical and Educational Sciences has announced the recipients of its 2024 educational awards. These awards honour exceptional contributions to education both locally and internationally, recognising individuals, schools, and institutions that have significantly advanced educational practices and supported gifted students.

A total of 194 participants from various emirates across the UAE competed in six categories at the local level. This year, 42 winners were acknowledged for their outstanding achievements. In the Education Supporting Institutions category, the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives Foundation was recognised for its "Madrasa E-Learning Platform" project. Additionally, the Abu Dhabi Civil Defence Authority received honours for its innovative educational project supporting institutions.

In the Distinguished School category, Um Ghafa Secondary School in Al Ain and GEMS Millennium School in Sharjah were celebrated for their exceptional contributions. The Distinguished Educator award went to Sama Mohammed Ali Al Dhahli from Emirates Schools Establishment, Maryam Hussein Al Loghani from Al Hijra School, Sheikha Salem Al Hafiti from Zayed Educational Complex in Bidya, and Huda Saeed Al Dhohouri from Muadh Bin Jabal Boys School.

In the Distinguished Teacher category, Hanan Mahmoud Mousa Bouadi from Emirates National Schools and Wafaa Eid Shahada Abu Qudairi from Al Ebdaa Basic Education School were honoured. For the Distinguished Undergraduate University Student category, Meera Abdullah Ahmed Al Harmoudi from the University of Sharjah was recognised for academic excellence. Khalid Abdul Fattah Ahmed Qazali from UAE University and Hamed Abdullah Ali Al Bastaki from Khalifa University were acknowledged for their non-academic achievements.

Humaid Mohammed Al Qatami, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Hamdan Foundation, expressed admiration for the contributions made by students, teachers, educators, schools, and organisations supporting education. He stated: "We have followed with great admiration the remarkable contributions of various elements of the educational ecosystem—students, teachers, educators, schools, and organisations supporting education—which have reflected exceptional levels of effort and an ambitious desire to ascend to the podiums of achievement."

International Recognition

On an international scale, Hamdan Foundation announced results for the World Giftedness Center Awards. These included the Applied Research Global Award of Gifted Education and the School Global Award Initiative of Gifted Education. The Applied Research Global Award received nine submissions from nine countries. The winning research titled "Teachers’ Attitudes Toward Gifted Students and Their Education: Patterns and Determinants," was conducted by Australian researchers Jay Yip Yang and Jiheon Lee.

For the School Global Award Initiative of Gifted Education, two initiatives were submitted—one from Saudi Arabia and another from India—highlighting innovative practices in supporting gifted students. These awards aim to enhance educational environments globally by leveraging expertise and best practices in gifted education.

Al Qatami also expressed gratitude towards Sheikh Rashid bin Hamdan Al Maktoum for his support along with appreciation for partners involved in this cycle’s success. He congratulated all winners on their achievements while encouraging them to continue striving towards excellence.

The awards reflect ongoing efforts to improve educational settings worldwide by promoting global expertise in supporting gifted students through innovative practices.

With inputs from WAM