Two UAE schools have been shortlisted for a prestigious international competition to find the best schools in the world.
Abu Dhabi’s Mamoura British Academy and Dubai’s Gems Modern Academy are in the running in separate categories for the World’s Best School Prizes 2023.
The Gems school is on a shortlist of 10 in the innovation category, while Mamoura is up for the environmental action award.
The schools could each win $50,000 (Dh184,000).
Vikas Pota, founder of T4 Education and the World’s Best School Prizes, congratulated both establishments for being nominated.
“Schools across the globe will learn from the story of these trailblazing UAE institutions and the culture they have cultivated,” he said.
The organisers praised Mamoura for its dedication to environmental issues.
They lauded the school for taking a lead on sustainable action as the global spotlight falls on the UAE as host of Cop28.
“Uniquely, its work is led almost entirely by a dedicated team of student ambassadors from ages three-18, tirelessly pursuing the Global Goals [Sustainable Development Goals] and the outcomes of the One Young World Summit and helping the school achieve Eco Green flag status,” the award organisers said.
Environmental schemes at the school include the use of hydroponic gardens where plants are grown without soil.
The school also underwent a retrofit, in which pupils prioritised energy reduction with the installation of light detection sensors in classrooms, as well as water fountains which convert air into drinking water.
If the school is successful, the prize money will be used to create a desert/forest school to explore the “harmony between people and nature”.
Gems Modern Academy was praised for “shaping the future of education and empowering students to thrive in an ever-evolving world”.
“Recognising the need to prepare students for an uncertain future, Gems Modern Academy introduced a number of technological innovations into its curriculum and practices as early as 2001, to include the region's first online report card system, developed entirely by students and teachers,” the organisers said.
“The school even has a bring your own device programme, through which students from Grade 2 onwards bring their own learning devices.”
Student-led projects to explore blockchain, AI and robotics were also singled out by the organisers.
The shortlist will be whittled down to three finalists in each category in September.
The winners of each of the five categories will be announced in October, with $250,000 in prize money shared equally.
