Ras Al Khaimah: Shaikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, presented the fifth RAK Award for Creativity and Excellence to outstanding students, distinguished academicians, teachers and administrative staff at a function held at the Cultural Centre.
The annual award has been instituted by the Government of Ras Al Khaimah to promote and honour excellence in education.
Delivering his keynote address at the function, Shaikh Saud said that attaining highest quality education standards, which will open up opportunities for achievement for all students, were vital for national development.
"Education is being viewed as investment for national progress and it is imperative that steps should be taken to foster excellence in education and efforts for attaining highest quality standards should be given top priority," he added.
Shaikh Saud said that knowledge societies of today call for breaking new ground in the teaching and learning process so as to equip the young generation with the needed skills and capabilities to compete in the modern world. He added that Government of Ras Al Khaimah has chalked out a training programme aimed at upgrading the skills of teachers.
He congratulated the students and the winners in other categories who have made remarkable contributions for achieving excellence in the education sector. As many as 128 persons were presented with the awards across nine categories, which included 113 students who were honoured for their excellent performance in academic as well as co-curricular activities.
The other categories included distinguished school teachers, administrative staff, distinguished social workers and outstanding families.
Shaikh Saud also presented an award to Abdullah Ali Mussabah, former Director of RAK Education Zone, for his contribution towards development of the emirate's education sector.
Mohammad Ebrahim Mansour, General Secretary of the Award Board, said that the RAK Award has become the most coveted honour in the emirate's education sector.