United Arab Emirates, October 18, 2016 -The Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) has celebrated today (October 18, 2016) the closing ceremony for various extra-curricular school activities for the year 2015-2016, which included the awarding of winners during competitions held as part of the ‘Champions of Tomorrow’ and ‘Creative Program’ campaigns. 

The new edition of extracurricular school activities for the current academic year 2016/2017 was announced during the ceremony, which was held at the Auditorium of Khalifa City A School in Abu Dhabi, in the presence of a number of senior officials, 
the awarded students and participants, as well as their parents. 

Students were lauded for excelling and showcasing their skills in sports, as well as their cultural and artistic talents in the two events.

H.E. Mr. Mohammed Salem Al Dhaheri, Executive Director of School Operations in ADEC, said that the school-related activities beyond the classroom as those highlighted in ‘Champions of Tomorrow’ and the ‘Creative Program’ are significant in cultural development. The aim of these initiatives is to unleash the youth’s capabilities and skills and support them through knowledge to help qualify them as future leaders of the country. Such initiatives help contribute in turning the UAE into one of the best countries in the world, with emphasis on social and cultural dimensions and in line with the strategic objectives embodied in the Abu Dhabi Vision 2030. The UAE seeks to create an integrated knowledge-based society and develop a sustainable economy that is characterized by competition and leadership emulated worldwide.

Mr. Al Dhahiri lauded the great response by students during both events, showing significant interest in leading and excelling on all levels, whether intellectually, culturally or during sports events. 

'The second edition of the ‘Champions of Tomorrow’ has witnessed a remarkable increase in the number of participants with more than 84,000 students from across schools in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and the Western region. This reflects the central role of the campaign in spreading a culture of physical education, while increasing awareness among youth, as well as motivating them to participate in community and national activities in order to uphold the UAE’s position in regional and international sports events,” he emphasised. 

ADEC School Operations Executive Director commended the success of the ‘Creative Program’ which helps promote leadership among students while honing their scientific and creative thinking, in line with the strategic vision of ADEC to develop the local education system and reinvigorate student competencies, while benefiting the local and international community.

“The success of the national campaign ‘Champions of Tomorrow’ and ‘Creative Program’ is a great impetus for ADEC to continue organizing initiatives and quality activities that will have a positive impact in cultural and scientific forward-looking initiatives among students. Enabling them to discover their skills and talents and showcasing them, helps contribute to our national efforts to build an educated society capable and a sustainable environment. We are confident that the upcoming editions 

of these events will see more distinctive participation and impressive results that reflects the richness of the UAE community in terms of sports, culture and the arts,” concluded His Excellency.

The competitions held as part of the extra-curricular activities for the academic year 2015/2016 were part of the second edition of the ‘Champions of Tomorrow’ campaign, conducted for four successive months, from October 2015 to February 2016. 

The campaign highlighted a series of competitions for students such as athletics, swimming, fencing, taekwondo, judo, Jiu-Jitsu, archery, football, basketball, handball and volleyball. 

The events witnessed the participation of 41,828 male students and 42,960 female students from the various schools across Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and the Western region. 

There were also competitions held for the first edition of the ‘Inventors Program’ which were previously held during last year’s academic school year amongst all public schools under the ADEC umbrella. 

The program promotes diversity and inclusiveness in a variety of activities in the scientific, artistic and literary areas. The event has achieved a high participation rate among students, having increased by 15 per cent in science programs and 30 per cent in the art programs.