ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)

The Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) has launched a new edition of its Summer Programme, which is designed to upskill, prepare, and empower Emirati students to explore their passion through unique opportunities to study at 14 leading universities in 12 countries across four continents.

A total of 181 top-performing Emirati students in grades 10 and 11 across public, private, and charter schools in Abu Dhabi have been selected from ADEK enrichment programmes including the Rize UPCG, Rize Honors, and Sports programmes.

Selected students will be able to explore pathways at top educational institutions in the US, India, China, Singapore, France, Spain, Switzerland, Italy, Australia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand and study from a variety of new majors across Creative Industries and Design, Culinary Arts, Education and Culture, Entrepreneurship, Music Performance, Wildlife Conservation, and more.

The academic opportunity aims to align with the ongoing objectives to upskill aspiring and talented students, help them develop a global mindset, expand their knowledge, engage with different cultures, and empower their academic, and personal growth internationally. Students participating in the programme will have a higher chance of being accepted into the Abu Dhabi Scholarships programme.

The expanded list of universities includes four of the world’s top universities, including Harvard University; Stanford University; University of California, Berkeley; and National University of Singapore (NUS).

Mubarak Hamad Al Mheiri, ADEK Undersecretary, said: “Following a successful programme last year, this expansion – terms of the number of students, countries, universities involved, and the number of programmes available – underlines our commitment to nurturing even more talented and aspiring students and empowering them to expand their knowledge beyond classroom boundaries.”

“ADEK Summer Programme students are encouraged to pursue post-secondary studies internationally at top-tier and recognised universities and discover their passion. This will also equip them with the required future skills across critical growth sectors in the emirate and globally.”

To ensure student readiness for international studies, ADEK organises a comprehensive series of pre-departure orientation sessions for each student group traveling to their respective international universities. The sessions are designed to provide students with extensive knowledge to navigate the international academic journeys and maximise their potential for success.