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New coding school opens up in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi - Sheikh Khaled inaugurates 42 Abu Dhabi which is the first GCC campus of the internationally renowned 42 Network of coding schools

An innovative new coding school, called 42 Abu Dhabi, has been opened up in the UAE Capital. Located at Mina Zayed, the purpose-built campus, was inaugurated on Sunday by Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, member of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Office.

42 Abu Dhabi is the first GCC campus of the internationally renowned 42 Network of coding schools, which opened its inaugural campus in Paris in 2013. The school was established in partnership with Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) under the Ghadan 21 accelerator programme.

The delegation led by Sheikh Khaled were taken on a tour of the facility where they witnessed 42 Abu Dhabi’s collaborative learning methods. They also met the school’s management and students of the programme’s inaugural cohort.

Commenting on the inauguration, Sheikh Khaled said: “As part of Abu Dhabi’s vision to foster a diverse, inclusive and world-leading education ecosystem, 42 Abu Dhabi represents a new milestone in our leadership’s strategy to nurture tomorrow’s leaders today. This pioneering new school will provide an additional educational platform to build digital skills and a homegrown, future-ready workforce equipped to lead the technology-driven economy of the 21st century.”

42 Abu Dhabi’s tuition-free model is rooted in a peer-to-peer learning methodology that creates flexible learning pathways via a project-based, gamified approach. Open 24-hours a day, and offering its programmes free of charge, the school aims to cultivate creativity, collaboration and self-discipline by giving students ownership of their learning without classrooms or teachers.

The school has been given initial accreditation by the National Qualification Centre. To date, the 42 Network’s disruptive curriculum has equipped more than 12,000 students around the world with essential digital and business skills.

Hussain Al Hammadi, UAE Minister of Education, said: “42 Abu Dhabi reflects Abu Dhabi Government’s commitment to developing a digitally aware and technology-driven generation of young professionals who are not only technically skilled, but are also pushing the boundaries of digital innovation.”

Sara Musallam, Chairman of ADEK, said: “42 Abu Dhabi is critical to the strategic development of our region’s tech talent and Abu Dhabi’s mission to build a future-ready, human capital pipeline that will contribute to our leadership’s vision of a secure and confident society that is competitive, sustainable and open. Coding is no longer reserved for ICT specialists; it is a universal language we must all speak to navigate the convergence of technology across industries operating in the global digital economy.”

225 Candidates selected for inaugural cohort

As part of the selection process for 42 Abu Dhabi’s inaugural cohort, 401 candidates took part in a trio of pre-selection ‘Piscines’ between May and August. A pool of 225 candidates successfully passed the 26-day immersive tests of motivation, endurance, and commitment, and joined 42 Abu Dhabi on September 26.

UAE nationals comprise 43 per cent of the inaugural cohort. Of the UAE national candidates, almost three quarters (70 per cent) are women. Expatriate student enrolment stands at 57 per cent. Almost all (93 per cent) of the students live in the UAE. Of the total number of students, 60 per cent are men, and 40 per cent women. More than three quarters (81 per cent) are aged 18-30.

Candidates interested in applying to 42 Abu Dhabi must be aged 18 and above and require no previous coding experience. Enrolment requires registration and an online pre-selection assessment that evaluates cognitive capacity via logic and memory tests. Successful pre-selection candidates are then invited to the ‘Piscine’, from which candidates will be invited to join the programme.