Abu Dhabi, April 16, 2014

The Emirates Foundation for Youth Development, one of the leading philanthropic organizations in the UAE, and the Ministry of Education today signed an agreement that will see sustainability and financial literacy included in the public school curriculum.

The signing ceremony, which took place at Jumeirah Etihad Towers Hotel in Abu Dhabi, was attended by H.E Education Minister Hameed Mohammad Al Qattami, the Emirates Foundation Managing Director H.E Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, and Chief Programmes Officer at the Emirates Foundation Maytha Al Habsi, in addition to the Foundation's work team and a number of industry experts participating in this project.

The agreement aims to incorporate sustainability and personal finance management in government school programmes as agreed by the two parties.

In addition, it also aims to develop a plan that offers job opportunities for young people to become professional teaching assistants after attending the "Teacher Assistant" initiative - a project of the Emirates Foundation "Kayani" Programme. They will be appointed as teacher assistants for students with special needs classes in government schools.

The two sides will engage students in the foundation's programmes which include Takatof Programme for Social Volunteering, the National Emergency Response Volunteer Programme (Sanid), Kafa'at, "Think Science" Kayani and the Financial Literacy programme (Isref Sah).

The Emirates Foundation Managing Director Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan said this agreement is especially important as it paves the way for taking decisions that have wider benefits on the school students' mindset and on the future of development in the country in general.

"Incorporating sustainable development issues in the teaching curricula allows our students to gain knowledge, the necessary skills, attitudes and values to chart sustainable future for the state," Sheikh Sultan said.

"Education for sustainable development means the inclusion of sustainable development major topics into the teaching-learning process such as climate changes, reducing disaster risks, sustainable consumption and personal financial management; and these are issues that should be well-comprehended so as to preserve a prosperous future for the coming generation," he added.

Commenting on the agreement, H.E. Hameed Mohammad Al Qattami , Minister of Education, said: "This agreement lays the foundation for a strategic partnership between the Ministry of Education and Emirates Foundation whose contributions will, with no doubt, build a better future for our citizens. We rely on Emirates Foundation to support the ministry's efforts and plans directed towards building a base of qualified and responsible Emirati future leaders who are confident about shaping their future and will participate effectively in the process of advancing their country armed with noble values and a great sense of self-fulfillment."

"The UAE has succeeded to achieve many milestones in record time and was able to impress the whole world with the progress and prosperity achieved and the unique modern nation model adopted relying on an advanced vision of sustainable development outlined by late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan's quote which stressed on the value of human capital as the real wealth of any country that forms the basis for any process of civilization. And on this basis our country continued its journey of achievements and prosperity under the leadership and guidance of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE," he added.

H.E. Hameed Mohammad Al Qattami, Minister of Education stressed that the Ministry of Education is honored to be a part of the national strategy aimed at UAE Youth Development. The ministry recognizes the importance of supporting and empowering youth and spares no effort in building a future generation armed with values and morals of our local society and providing better education opportunities for them to help them acquire modern technology and science skills which serve as the future tools that build the future of this nation, maintain the current achievements and continue the success journey by adopting an advanced national curriculum that focuses on analytical thinking and developed scientific competencies and skills on the basis of the principles that distinguish our cultural identity.

On the sidelines of the signing ceremony, Maytha Al Habsi gave a presentation outlining the importance of integrating sustainability topics into the school curriculum.

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Emirates Foundation Financial Literacy Program:

Esref Sah ('Spend Right' in English)

Background:
Emirates Foundation's Financial Literacy program Esref Sah was developed in response to the need for greater awareness among young people about how to manage their personal finance. This need became apparent through extensive research undertaken by the Foundation in addition to the output of a series of workshops with relevant stakeholders also concerned about and working on this issue.

The UAE continues to face serious issues related to debt among young people that lead to a negative social impact. Prior to the launch of Esref Sah, there was no nationwide program to address this issue and yet statistics revealed that some 70% of Emiratis under the age of 30 are already in debt.

The research and development of the program during a one year period, clearly showed the need for a scalable program that could teach young people relevant skills, champion the cause of promoting financial literacy while also engaging all key actors. The latter included the Central Bank, the UAE Banking Association, the Ministry of Education, the Marriage Fund (financial issues have been identified as a key contributor to divorce), electronic payment companies (e.g. Mastercard and Visa), universities and various other institutions with a vested interest in this area.

Program

Emirates Foundation is working to help young people in the UAE learn how to avoid excessive debt and manage their finances such that they can provide for themselves and their loved ones throughout their life time. The program addresses personal finance issues specific to youth and provides the tools to help them enhance their financial planning and management skills and avoid excessive debt. Esref Sah is a national program that comprises three core components:

  • The 100 Youth Club: This component is designed to train 100 Emirati youth to the level where they can act as mentors to their peers and ultimately champion the cause in their personal and professional lives. They will be trained to deliver financial management workshops and become advocates of financially responsibility.

  • The Mobile Workshop Outreach: The Foundation has customized a bus which is fitted out with multiple tools and content to help teach financial literacy. This includes online games, applications and other content and provides a space for running training and workshops in a mobile capacity. The bus regularly tours the UAE covering all seven Emirates and engages young people via schools, universities, community centers, shopping malls and other key venues.

The Educational Curriculum Initiative: The Foundation is working in partnership with the UAE Ministry of Education to work to embed Financial Literacy into the national curriculum rendering the topic mandatory in all schools across the country.

For more information please contact:

Danielle.ferns@edelman.com or call: +971 50 662 9503

© Press Release 2014