ADEC participates in National Sports Day celebrations

Abu Dhabi, November 25th  2015 - Under the directives of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) joined nationwide celebrations of National Sports Day held today (Wednesday, November 25, 2015) under the theme ‘Emirates Brings Us Together.’ 

ADEC’s participation forms part of its continuous efforts to enhance the local learning process, foster a sense of belonging and loyalty to the homeland in all Abu Dhabi school communities, and maintain continuous cooperation with parents in recognition of their contributions to the education sector. 

Along with administrative officials and faculty members more than 290,000 students from 489 public and private schools in Abu Dhabi gathered for the UAE’s first-ever National Sports Day which took place in numerous sporting competitions and other various fun-filled activities starting 10 a.m. 

Parents were invited to participate along with their kids as part of the ‘With Our Children’ campaign to demonstrate that parents are one of the education sector’s strategic partners. Earlier this year, ADEC’s successful ‘Sports Day’ initiative was launched and attracted high participation from school community members. 

H.E. Dr. Mugheer Khamis Al Khaili, Chairman, Health Authority Abu Dhabi, Acting Director General of ADEC, said that friendly sports competitions, fun and educational activities during National Sports Day reflects unity among all segments of society and harmony among various cultures in the UAE. 

H.E. said: “We urged various school administrative officials and teachers to organize individual and team sporting events as part of the students’ learning process, as well as integrate these activities into the school culture. Our aim is to showcase the benefits of regularly staging their own Sports Day in accordance with the new National Sports Day initiative launched by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.” 
 
Dr. Al Khaili added: “Additionally, we organized an event at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre for our students in partnership with the UAE Federation of Jiu-Jitsu as part of our Jiu-Jitsu program. The participants are all Jiu- Jitsu practitioners in the youth category. The event was one of the many sporting activities held in various schools.”
 
Aside from recreational activities and games, learning sessions on health, sports, the environment, national identity, and cultural heritage were also staged during the nationwide event. School administrators and teachers involved in organizing related activities also attended the workshops in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and the Western Region from November 16th to 18th 2015 as part of the preparations for the celebrations.  

More than 125,000 students from 305 public schools and 165,000 students from 184 private schools joined National Sports Day.