UAE, March 25, 2017– The Board of Governors of Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University (HBMSU) met with the University Learners Council recently to discuss the integrity and quality of the educational process in the university in a first-of-its-kind gathering in the UAE. The meeting reviewed also the importance of engaging the youth in ongoing national efforts towards building a competitive knowledge-based economy.

Taking place on the sidelines of the second regular meeting for the Academic Year 2016/ 2017, the gathering was led by H.E. Lieutenant General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, Deputy Chairman of Police and General Security in Dubai and Chairman of the University’s Board of Governors who emphasized the role of higher education incorporating innovative and smart methodologies in enabling learners to lead the country’s future comprehensive development. The Learners Council presented its future plans as well during the meeting, giving particular emphasis on the significance of cultivating leadership skills, adopting advanced learning methodologies, highlighting competitiveness, and encouraging scientific research and investment.

H.E. Lt Gen Tamim said that youth empowerment is among HBMSU’s strategic priorities who strongly supports key initiatives to nurture, train and employ the UAE’s young talents under the guidance of the country’s visionary leaders. He also reiterated the university’s commitment to support the learners’ growth in various areas of leadership, research and development, and investment, noting their vital role in the country’s innovation-driven economic prosperity according to the directives of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE’s Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, who said, ‘We are proud that the UAE is a young country. And we are proud of our youth. We invest in them and empower them precisely because they are our future.’

H.E. added: “The meeting between the Board of Governors and the Learners Council marks a milestone in the history of HBMSU, which has been forging a genuine partnership with the youth by engaging them in the decision-making process and helping them take on leadership roles. HBMSU has adopted this stance as evidenced by its pursuit of high-quality educational outcomes to help its learners cope with the requirements of the future. In light of this, we are working to build a learning environment that nurtures innovation among the young for them to become future leaders who are capable of driving the country’s growth, development, and prosperity. This is according to HBMSU’s goals of taking the lead in terms of scientific innovation and smart learning and offering exceptional learning opportunities for future innovators of the Arab World.”

Waleed Abdulla AlShehhi, President of HBMSU’s Learners Council, commended the unprecedented gathering, saying that it gave the council an opportunity to directly meet with the Board of Governors. He also praised HBMSU for encouraging its learners to assume influential leadership positions and participate in the decision-making process, in addition to cultivating the culture of competitiveness and improving the young generation’s scientific research capabilities. HBMSU ensures that its graduates will be more than qualified to help drive national growth and place the UAE on the world map.

He said: “The meeting is an unprecedented step towards encouraging learners to propose their creative ideas on improving the quality of educational outcomes via smart learning and diligent scientific research methodologies. Through this meeting, we emphasize on the contributions of the Learners Council in the establishment and management of an investment fund with learners who are entrepreneurs. The fund supports scientific research works and human capacity building initiatives the same way the ‘Nation Fund’ does under the chairmanship of H.E. Lieutenant General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim.”

HBMSU took the opportunity to highlight its achievements for the Academic Year 2015/ 2016 among which the most important was that it became the Middle East’s first university to receive ISO22301:2012- Business Continuity Management System Certification from the International Standard Organization (ISO). Last year, the university was accredited with ISO 29990: 2010 certification, following an external audit by Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance Limited. Lastly, the meeting reviewed the tuition fees for the next academic year.