Nestlé Waters & Ministry of Education introduces "Water Education for Teachers" (WET) program in UAE

The Ministry of Education is a joint partner in the implementation of this extremely useful initiative in the schools in UAE. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between Nestlé Waters UAE and the Ministry of Education on February 15, 2006 during the kick-off workshop on WET, held in a local hotel. The MOU was signed by Mr. Maurizio Patarnello, COO Nestlé Waters - Middle East & Africa and Dr. Ebrahim Salem, Director Department of Sports and Health Programs, Ministry of Education UAE. The workshop was attended by over 32 teachers of 14 government schools (Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Fujairah, Ajman, Al Ain); the representatives of the Ministry of Education and the representatives of Nestlé Waters UAE were also present. Mr. John Etgen, Vice President WET International Foundation USA conducted the workshop.

WET was established in 1984. It is an award-winning, international, nonprofit water science and education program and publisher located in Bozeman, Montana, USA. Nestlé Waters is a global partner of WET worldwide. The mission of Project WET is to reach children, parents, educators, and communities of the world with water education. WET network is comprised of individuals who care about reaching children with information and education materials on water resources, its management and protection. The network includes sponsors and coordinators that design, adapt, and localize Project WET education materials and deliver them to educators and children, aged 5 to 18 years, in their respective states/countries.

WET introduction in the UAE makes a lot of sense and is of great importance keeping in mind the fresh water situation in the country. World Bank and other environmental research studies show that UAE is one of the poorest water reserves per capita in the world with issues like salination of land, drying of natural water sources, increased demand of water vs. availability, etc. This puts additional responsibility on the residents of UAE and the companies operating in UAE to educate people, especially younger generation on this important subject and possibly help in rectification of the issue.

Project WET activities are designed to complement existing curricula rather than displace or add more concepts. Project WET activities fulfill objectives and educational standards in the sciences as well as other disciplines from fine art to health. Because water is ubiquitous, water-related concepts can be found in almost any field of study. By recognizing these connections, educators and water resource managers discover many opportunities to implement Project WET activities.

The main objective of the WET project is to educate students regarding the importance of Water & the need to conserve this scarce resource. The students, having gone through the comprehensive WET curriculum provided by Nestlé Waters UAE and endorsed by the Ministry of Education UAE, are expected to acquire critical thinking & problem-solving skills to make prudent decisions regarding water resources use.

The project WET has officially been launched in USA, Canada, Japan, Mexico, Lebanon, Philippines and 14 other countries before UAE.