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Shaikha Fatima's vision, key role in education hailed

ABU DHABI - The visionary leadership of Shaikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairperson of the UAE Women's Federation, has encouraged young national graduates to aspire to take up leadership roles in their families and their communities as well, Shaikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Education, said yesterday.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony of the third batch of 353 students of Zayed University at the National Theatre here, Shaikh Nahyan said: "We are specially honoured that Shaikha Fatima, the 'Mother of the Nation' is attending this ceremony as she does every year. We are not only grateful for her interest and support to Zayed University and its graduates, but our country is also fortunate to have her as a leader and a role model for women in the UAE".

He said Shaikha Fatima has been encouraging young women to achieve excellence while serving the country with the skills and education they obtained at different colleges and universities.

Stating that Zayed University will always be proud of its name, he said: "We are proud to be named after such a great leader and such a historic figure - a leader who had a clear vision for his country and who succeeded in turning that vision into reality. Thanks to Shaikh Zayed's leadership, the UAE occupies a prominent place in the world."

The graduates were presented with digital diplomas, a paperless, fully electronic model certificate, the first of its kind in the UAE. The digital diploma contains all the information found in the traditional university diploma, including name, degree title, year of graduation, college and student ID number.

Shaikha Fatima presented 30 meritorious graduates with valuable gifts presented by the Office of the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The graduates also bestowed upon Shaikha Fatima crystal pieces in different geometrical shapes as tokens of appreciation of her continuous support for the development of education process in the country.

"This is one of the days which make us feel so happy and optimistic about the future and give us self-confidence in our ability to cope with the requirements of modern science in the context of globalisation," Shaikha Fatima said.

She said it was a big honour for graduates that the university was named after the late Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, "the father who dedicated his life for humanity, luxury and happiness of his people," she said.

Meanwhile, Zayed University declared, on the sidelines of the graduation ceremony, the launch of an 'Honour Society', the first in the region bearing the name of Shaikha Fatima.

Members of the Society would be chosen by the college deans and faculty members based on specific criteria. To obtain the membership of the society, students must complete sufficient credits for graduation, attain a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.6 out of 4.0, and demonstrate exceptional intellectual and professional qualities.