The UAE Ministry of Education has signed an agreement with Emaar Retail approving visits by students from public and private schools and other educational institutions in the country to Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo and KidZania®, two popular leisure and edutainment destinations in The Dubai Mall. This partnership with the Ministry of Education officially sanctions student visits as part of the educational programme.
In the presence of His Excellency Humaid Al Qutami, Minister of Education, the agreement was signed by His Excellency Ali Maihad Al Suwaidi, Director General at Ministry of Education and Mr Mohamed Alabbar, Chairman, Emaar Properties.
The ceremony was also attended by Shaikha Al Shamsi, Director of the Licensure and Accreditation Department at Ministry of Education; Mr. Arif Amiri, Chief Executive Officer of Emaar Retail; and Wafa Alabbar, Director of Student School Activities Department at Ministry of Education.
His Excellency Humaid Al Qutami said the agreement demonstrates the commitment of the Ministry of Education to strengthen its relationship with its strategic partners to promote the development of education and adding non-traditional student activities. “This is the beginning of an important cooperation with a pioneering company, Emaar. This agreement is of interest to the Ministry of Education to advance student activities, broaden their knowledge and develop the skills and talents. It will help create an environment where they discover new learning experiences by themselves as well as boost their confidence.”
His Excellency Ali Maihad Al Suwaidi said: “Emaar Retail will achieve these goals by introducing special reduced prices, and offering a specified number of complimentary access to special needs students and supervisors of student group visits. Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo will host awareness workshops for 20 teachers from each of the educational zones, while KidZania® will provide educational brochures to the students.”
“Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo and KidZania® are unique learning environments that our educational institutions cannot offer currently. Through our agreement with Emaar Retail approving the student visits, we are further strengthening public private partnerships in education to enhance the knowledge base of our student community,” Al Suwaidi added.
The proposal by Emaar Retail for approving student visits was accepted following an in-depth evaluation of the educational attributes of Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo and KidZania® by a team comprising educationalists and parents. In all, 19 parameters were evaluated to assess the benefits of the visits for students in enhancing their academic performance.
Mr Alabbar said: “We thank the Ministry of Education for partnering with us in this powerful educational initiative, which will provide the student community of the UAE a significant value addition to their learning experience. Student visits to Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo and KidZania® now have official approval, and can be integrated as part of their academic programme.”
He added: “While Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo with its 33,000 aquatic animals provides a new learning opportunity on nature and sustainability, KidZania® will help students understand the functioning of real-life cities by individually undertaking more than 70 different professions. Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo and KidZania® are unparalleled edutainment options for students in the region.”
Emaar Retail, which manages Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo and other leisure attractions in The Dubai Mall, has already launched The Ocean School Education Programme for students in the region aimed at enhancing awareness in marine conservation measures to students and teachers.
The educational initiative has been well-received by more than 215 schools, attracting over 25,000 students since its launch in 2009. The programme is based on the three principles of ‘Think, Do and Find,’ and offers participants unique insights into the marine world.
Mr Arif Amiri, Chief Executive Officer, Emaar Retail, said: “Our partnership with the Ministry of Education highlights our commitment to student community outreach by offering a rich educational experience in a fun environment. This is also a reiteration of the immense educational value of Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo and KidZania®. Through these edutainment attractions, we are providing the student community with valuable insights about nature & bio-diversity as well as the dynamics of businesses and various professions. We are honoured to play a key role in honing the outlook of students, who are the future of our country.”
Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo is one of the largest and most diverse aquariums in the world and has Sand Tiger Sharks, Rays and Giant Groupers, among other species. It features the largest acrylic viewing panel, which has won the Guinness World Record, and a walk-through tunnel for closer encounters with the aquatic animals.
The Underwater Zoo presents the bio-diversity in different ecological zones including Rainforest, Rocky Shore and Living Ocean. Apart from Humbolt Penguins and Caiman Crocodiles, the animals featured here include Piranhas, Giant Spider Crabs, Giant Octopus, Water Rats, Giant Catfish and Dart Frogs.
KidZania®, the award-winning edutainment concept promoting the physical and intellectual growth of children through professional role-plays, sprawls over 80,000 sq ft in two levels of the mall.
KidZania® is a veritable city with an assortment of establishments covering the entire fabric of a working economy – from banks to hospitals, universities to salons, television stations to music lounges, and aircrafts to supermarkets. Children are provided uniforms that reflect the nature of the profession in each establishment, and undertake real-life tasks.
The Dubai Mall also features SEGA Republic, the Middle East’s first and largest of its kind indoor theme park; the Olympic-sized Dubai Ice Rink and the 22-screen Reel Cinemas, UAE’s largest megaplex.
