Dubal presents educational awards to students

Organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, the competition is the second of its kind and is in line with the directive issued by H H Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum (UAE Minister of Finance and Chairman of Dubal) for corporate organisations to help schools provide their students with research-based learning opportunities. It also demonstrates Dubal's stated corporate social investment objective to support education in the UAE as a vehicle for socio-economic advancement.

Khalid Essa Buhumaid, General Manager: Corporate Relations and International Affairs, advises that the competition is closely linked to schools' visits to the aluminium giant's smelter complex in Jebel Ali. "We encourage educational excursions to our facilities and generally entertain at least 1,300 students from 44 schools during the course of the academic year," says Buhumaid.

"During these visits, we inform the students and their teachers about our company by providing relevant facts and statistics. The Dubal Educational Award requires that the students write an article or create an artwork - whether drawing, painting, sculpting, modelling or any other creative medium - within two weeks of their visit. The best entries per school, as nominated by their respective activities sections, are then entered into the Dubal Educational Award competition, for adjudication by a panel of judges that includes representatives of Dubal and the Ministry of Education."

Twelve awards were presented during today's ceremony: three each to the top students in the creative writing and artistic expression categories at both primary and secondary level. Their schools received trophies as a token of recognition and appreciation. The winners were:

Writing competition:
•Mohammed Al Mahrizi,from Masafi High School, in Ras Al Khaima.
•Mahmood Mohamed Jaber, from Al Qudwa Primary School, in Kalba.

Drawing competition:
•Nour Ahmed Al Halaq, from Al Yarmook Primary School, in Abu Dhabi.
•Moza Ahmed Khamas, from Al Jeer High School, in Ras Al Khaima.

The subject matter of every submission to the 2007/2008 Dubal Educational Award competition focused on the theme of this year's initiative, namely "Dubal and the Environment". The students were guided in their quest while visiting Dubal by way of viewing an educational film on the company, a presentation and open discussion sessions, and a plant tour conducted by volunteers from within the organisation.

"We are delighted at the success of this year's competition," says Buhumaid. "Not only did it attract greater participation from the schools but also the entries were of higher calibre. It is extremely gratifying to witness the power of the competition as a platform for raising awareness of and interest in Dubal while simultaneously giving us a mechanism to express our company's genuine interest in education in a meaningful way."