Education and Energy ministries introduce oil culture in schools

Abu Dhabi / WAM

The Ministry of Education, in cooperation and coordination with the Ministry of Energy, has introduced into 10th grade curricula some subjects on the rationalisation of energy.
Such subjects also contribute to strengthening of oil-related culture and help students to relate to key issues such as the importance of energy sources and means of rationalising their consumption, as well as raising awareness of the importance of sustainable energy.
This initiative, the-first-of-its-kind in the region, sets a new precedent in the context of national efforts toward promoting economic development by providing students with energy-related awareness and educational information, as well as highlighting UAE’s role and efforts in coordination, cooperation and active participation in local bodies and international organisations, such as OPEC and OAPEC.
Hussain bin Ibrahim Al Hammadi, the Minister of Education, said that the Ministry of Education while laying out curricular foundations and standards, in accordance with UAE’s educational development plan, took into account the involvement of national authorities.
The contribution of these local and federal authorities in the formulation of the general framework of educational curricula has served to achieve complementarity and comprehensiveness, as well as generating profound and clear perceptions, Al Hammadi said.
The educational connotations and meaningful concepts of such perceptions are the means through which we seek to instill social awareness and consciousness in students to prepare them for the future. Thus, they shall be in a better position to engage in professional life, to meet UAE’s orientation requirements and to achieve national targets”, he explained.
The minister said that the subjects added to the curriculum to promote the oil culture, are a fruit of joint cooperation with the Ministry of Energy in order to draw genuine lessons and information that reflect the importance of energy conservation and its conducive elements in the UAE, in line with UAE’s approach to achieve a green and sustainable economy. ”
This contributes to building future generations that are fully aware of their responsibilities, the economic realities and means of boosting the economy to attain advanced levels, added the Minister of Education, he added.
Al Hammadi noted that the oil wealth owned by the UAE requires conscious generations capable of handling such wealth and developing innovative ways that contribute to its sustainability. This may be achieved by stimulating the minds of students to come up with innovative and creative ideas for saving energy and preventing wastage, along with the development of alternative non-oil energy solutions through innovations and methodologies in which
students are actively involved.
The Minister described the next phase as one that requires concerted efforts and working together towards achieving national indicators and enabling students to acquire 21st century skills. He stressed that cooperation with the Ministry of Energy will take place on a scale that is large enough to ensure the spread of awareness among students, teachers and parents on the importance of energy and means of conserving it, in the context of UAE’s orientation towards sustainability and green development.
Suhail Mohammed Faraj Faris Al Mazrouei, the Minister of Energy, said that the Ministry of Energy is keen to raise the generation’s awareness and to educate it by including relevant information in the curriculum to spread the oil culture among students, teachers and parents.
He stressed that the Ministry has future plans dedicated to student care and support; the issuance of specialised publications and organising awareness lectures for university students and academics to ensure
the sustainability of natural
resources and green
development.

This approach, he noted, is aligned with the federal UAE government directives, UAE Vision 2021, the National Agenda indicators and the petroleum Media strategy, which has recently been adopted during the meeting of the GCC oil ministers.
The Minister of Energy expressed the ministry’s commitment to the promotion of community outreach and educating the public, members of the community and interested researchers of the ministry’s strategic projects and plans along with its efforts in raising awareness of the importance of energy, energy conservation and the spreading of oil culture, to achieve sustainable development for the future generation and continue UAE’s efforts in building a sustainable green economy.