• Hundreds of UAE students flaunt their creativity presenting unique perspectives 
• 17 Emiratis amongst 24 different nationalities graduate from UCMAS brain development program this year, 26,000 trained

November 13th, 2018; Dubai, UAE:   Creativity, colour and talent were the buzz words when 145 artists competed in the 7th UC DINOART National Art Competition held at the Sheikh Rashid Auditorium, Indian High School this weekend. The 2-hour competition brought to the fore hundreds of ideas under one roof as youngsters aged 5 years to 15 years of multiple nationalities and backgrounds presented their thoughts visually. After two rigorous but creative hours of drawing, colouring and painting, 57 winners were awarded prizes across 14 categories.

Winning maximum number of prizes, Asian students came out as champions during the contest shining in all categories including Foundation, Elementary and Intermediate. Students used a variety of mediums such as colour pencils, oil pastels, poster and water paints to bring their imagination to life. The judges selected the winners on the basis of their out-of-the box perspective, neatness, creativity, imagination and the use of colours.

Following on the heels of the art competition, Abacus Quest Point, National Franchisee for UAE and Member of UCMAS Global Network, a Malaysia based organization pioneering in abacus based brain development programme conducted the 13th UCMAS and 5th UC DINOART Graduation Ceremonies 2018 to honour the students who have completed all the levels of both the programs respectively. 507 UCMAS students from 36 registered UCMAS centres graduated this year comprising of children from 24 nationalities which included 17 Emiratis, 23 Egyptians and 389 Indians. 20 UC DINOART students also took home graduate certificates and medals. 

Commenting on the programme and the graduation ceremony, Mrs. Soundari Raj, Managing Director, UCMAS UAE said, “Children have a unique perspective towards most things in life, and it shines through when given a creative vent. Art is a medium to help a child to express the emotions, compose their hyper active nature to develop their concentration ability and to picture life through the medium of colours. In this regard, the UC DINOART program helps children hone their creative skills, creating artists of the future, while making a vital contribution to the UAE’s ambition of becoming the region’s art and cultural hub”.

She added: “UCMAS caters to the development of the logical side of the brain and UC DINOART to the creative side. The year 2018 is the Year of Zayed – the year for sustainable development in line with his green initiative and to reiterate that hard work is the real wealth for the development of the community. Today our young graduates have propelled forward with hard work to acquire this accolade ready to face the future with confidence”.

UCMAS is the largest worldwide skill development programme promoting the universal concept of a mental arithmetic system for children between the ages of 6 and 13. With operations in 80 countries, UCMAS has trained more than a million students worldwide and about 26,000 students across 36 centres in the UAE since its inception in 2003. Their approach promotes holistic brain development and establishes core skills that greatly enhance learning experience of the child with the aim of bringing out the best in every child. Over 6,000 students have graduated from UAE so far and UC MAS is immensely proud of the fact that they are boosting children’s skills exponentially by enhancing brain development.