Two UAE schools shortlisted for global awards over environment and health initiatives

Two private schools in the UAE have been shortlisted for the World’s Best School Prize 2024 in recognition of their work in environmental action and promoting health initiatives.

The Dubai International Academy Emirates Hills was named in the top 10 shortlist for Environmental Action while Gems Legacy School was named in the top 10 shortlist for Supporting Healthy Lives.

Founded by T4 Education in collaboration with Accenture, American Express, and the Lemann Foundation, the award is across five categories – community collaboration, environmental action, innovation, overcoming adversity and supporting healthy lives.

This year’s winners will share a $50,000 prize fund and will be invited to the World Schools Summit, to be held in Dubai on November 23 and November 24.

Adding trampolining to the curriculum

Gems Legacy School is going all out to develop health plans for their entire community – pupils, teachers and parents.

From plans to add trampolining to the curriculum to hosting sleep hygiene workshops, to breaks for eating fruits to nutrition literacy programmes for pupils and parents, the school has developed unique programmes to promote good health.

Asha Alexander, principal of Gems Legacy School, said: “We are working to make sure trampolining is built into the curriculum, so children go every quarter.

“We are not just promoting healthy lives for our pupils but also for our teachers who have diabetes.

“We worked with Bounce [a trampoline park in the UAE] and got Fitbits for all the teachers, and they had challenges to make sure they were reducing weight.

“We also had a doctor come and speak to them about diabetes reversal, so several teachers are on a programme to reverse diabetes.”

The school also works with underprivileged children in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh through the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (Save girls, Educate girls) Organisation.

“We have been educating them about cleanliness and sanitation and the importance of good nutrition and exercise,” she said.

“We also do something called walk for water to bring home the importance of drinking clean, safe drinking water across the world.”

Pupils walk while carrying water without spilling it, an exercise that helps them understand what children experience in other parts of the world where water is scarce.

The school also organised sleep hygiene workshops and taught children why they should sleep at a certain time instead of staying up to scroll through social media.

“Especially in places like Dubai, where it's very hot and children don't exercise, there is a great tendency to have fast food. So, we have instituted fruit breaks to make sure children eat clean,” said Ms Alexander.

Giving pupils the power to lead

The Dubai International Academy Emirates Hills has an Eco Club with an impressive 15-year-old legacy.

The club hosted the inaugural model Cop28 event in November 2023, allowing 130 pupils from across Dubai to tackle pressing environmental issues, particularly plastic pollution in the UAE, through debates.

Hitesh Bhagat, principal at the Dubai International Academy Emirates Hills, said: “The most important part of what our school does is that it is student-led. It's not something which we are pushing, pupils come with different ideas.

“There is a big push for pupils to walk and bike to the school, a lot of carpool opportunities for our parents, so that they have a car-free day. We even celebrate some days where electricity use is minimal.”

The school has raised awareness about the importance of electronic waste recycling by initiating campaigns for World Environment Day and Campus Sustainability Month.

During the e-waste drive, the school collected old digital devices and teamed up with a company to recycle these products. The school raised around 2,000kg of e-waste.

Pupils are now working with local companies to introduce e-waste bins across malls in Dubai.

They have also worked on plans to use solar panels, and reuse school uniforms and textbooks, as well as taken part in a plant adoption drive.

Established in 2022, the World’s Best School Prize gives a platform to schools that are changing lives in their classrooms and far beyond their walls.

The winners of the five prizes will be chosen by expert judges and a public vote that opened on Thursday.

The school that receives the most public votes will receive the Community Choice Award.