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UAE: How Emirati teacher of 30 years built institute inspired by 'champion of education' mum

One of the first women in the UAE society to secure formal education, Ousha bint Hussain was a trailblazer in many ways

[Editor's Note: This is the third of a 4-part weekly series ahead of Emirati Women’s Day.]

The Rewaq Ousha bint Hussein cultural and educational centre has stood tall in UAE's society for over three decades as a beacon of education and knowledge. From courses in IT and medical coding to Arabic and Quran, the institute has provided quality training to thousands of people from various walks of life.

For its founder Dr Mouza Obaid Ghubash Al Muhairiis, the institute is an undying tribute to the most important woman in her life — her mother, Ousha bint Hussain bin Nasser Lootah.

“She was such an influential and strong personality,” said Dr Mouza, speaking to Khaleej Times. “Our house would always be busy with guests coming to ask her opinion about any business-related or personal issues. She was very well-versed in all matters, including politics. In the 1950s, when the Egypt revolution was going on, she would sit and listen to the news on the radio every day to keep herself updated about the latest happenings. She worked silently in many charitable activities. She was also a prolific poet. She was a very capable person.”

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One of the first women in the UAE society to secure formal education, Ousha bint Hussain was a trailblazer in many ways. She not only consumed knowledge but also spread it among those around her.

Entrepreneurial spirit

Dr Mouza credited her grandparents for ensuring that her mother was educated. “My father was a pearl and gold trader and he travelled a lot, especially to India,” she said. “My grandmother also knew how to read the Quran, which was quite rare in her times. They decided that my mother, who was born in 1943, needed a formal education and brought a Sheikh (teacher) from Saudi Arabia to teach her Quran, Arabic, literature, poetry, history and mathematics.”

After her marriage, Ousha went on to set up her own real estate company, becoming one of the first women entrepreneurs in the industry. “She asked two of her friends, Sheikha Rafea and Sheikha Sana to be her partners and they began their company,” said Dr Mouza. “Her friends did not even know how to sign their names and it was my mother who taught them.”

It was only in 1971, after the union of the UAE that formal schools began in the country. “At the time, older women also started going to schools in the afternoon to complete their elementary and secondary education,” said Dr Mouza.

A lifetime of education

For Dr Mouza, one of her earliest memories is of her mother encouraging her and her siblings to study. This resulted in four out of the six siblings being PhD holders and holding prestigious positions in various government and private entities. “I took a PhD in sociology,” she said. “My brother took in history, my sister in psychiatry and my other brother in politics. Besides that, we also have written extensively. I have published 10 books about social problems, our culture and identity and our Emirati traditions.”

After graduating from school, Dr Mouza travelled to Kuwait to do her bachelor’s degree, followed by a year in Washington to perfect her English. “After that I spent seven years in Cairo doing my master’s and PhD,” she said. “Upon returning to the UAE in 1987, I got a job as a professor in UAE university in Al Ain where I taught social theory and UAE literature for over 30 years.”

She said even as young children, her mother encouraged them to build their own library of books. “At the time, it was not easy to get access to books,” she said. “So whenever our brothers went travelling to Syria or Iraq, they would bring back stacks of books which we would then read voraciously. We would also distribute our books to anyone who wanted to read. Our mother pushed us to expand our knowledge in every possible way.”

Untimely death

However, it was Ousha’s untimely death in 1992 that rocked Dr Mouza’s world. “For weeks, I could not even think straight,” she said. “I was crying all the time. When a month passed, I decided that it was time to stop my tears and do something to honour my mother’s legacy.”

That is how she came upon the idea of setting up an educational institute. “I could not think of anything more befitting as she was always a champion of education,” she said. Since it was established, the charity and cultural centre has been offering free classes and performing charitable activities in society. It has also championed several unique campaigns including the ‘Best Mother’ award where students were asked to nominate their mothers and write about their sacrifices.

In 2016, the institute was given an endowment of assets exceeding Dh37 million to continue its exemplary work in coordination with the Mohammed bin Rashid Global Centre for Endowment Consultancy (MBRGCEC) to promote awareness of the importance of supporting UAE's culture.

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