Sheikh Mohammed surprises UAE school toppers with cash prize, heartfelt message

‘We are proud of you and we bet on you.’ This was the message that high school toppers in the UAE received from none other than the country’s vice-president. The top students received thousands of dirhams in cash and the inspirational message engraved on the box that it came in.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, sent out the gifts and certificates to eight toppers for the academic year 2023-2024.

The students got another surprise on Tuesday when Sheikh Mohammed met them on the sidelines of the UAE Cabinet meeting in Abu Dhabi.

One of the students, Alia Hassan, said she would use the cash prize to buy a car. Aspiring to study physics at Khalifa University, she told Khaleej Times she was 'delightfully shocked' on finding out that she was a topper.

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Although Alia did not expect to be among the toppers, her English teacher, Aziza Al Ghafri, felt the opposite. "I always saw her as a second teacher in the class."

Another student, Maryam Al Zaabi, said she felt a deep sense of responsibility when she received the gift that carried the message, 'We bet on you'. “I hope I am worthy of this trust,” she said.

Last week, the students received a call from the Dubai Media Office, informing them that the royal gift had been dispatched to them.

A certificate signed by the Dubai Ruler states: "We congratulate you for your excellence, we congratulate your family for the joy and achievement, and we congratulate your country for your graduation, which will add a new building block in the process of growth and prosperity in our beloved country."

Maryam was touched by the gesture. "Yesterday, the wise leadership told us not to worry, and today we are the ones who tell you so."

Mayed Al Hamoudi from Al Fujairah Institute of Applied Technology said the news came as no surprise to him as he “planned all these years and worked really hard”.

• Sheikh Mohammed congratulates top UAE high school students