HH Ruler of Ajman Opens "Innovative Thinking: A Challenge to Education" Conference at Ajman University

His Highness Shaikh Humaid Bin Rashid Al Nuaimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ajman, opened on Wednesday 17 of October, the 'Innovative Thinking: A Challenge to Education' conference organized by Ajman University of Science and Technology in collaboration with Umm Al-Momineen Association.

The two-day conference which was held at the AUST’s Sheikh Zayed Center for Conferences and Exhibitions is organized as part of the events marking the 26th Knowledge Day celebrations in Ajman.

Present at the opening ceremony were Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research; Shaikh Ahmed Bin Humaid al Nuaimi, Chairman of Ajman Department of Economic Development and Chairman of Ajman Free Zone Authority; Shaikh Rashid Bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, Chairman of Ajman Municipality and Planning Department; Mr. Thamer Saeed Salman, AUST Vice President; Mrs. Raja Al Numan, Vice-President of Umm Al-Momineen Association; and a number of other Shaikhs and senior officials. The event also gathered hundreds of researchers, specialists as well as secondary school and university students.

HH Shaikh Al Nuaimi, accompanied by dignitaries and officials, toured the exhibition taking place on the fringes of the conference. The exhibition and the conference epitomize the motto of this year’s Knowledge Day: 'Knowledge is Love and Perfection'.

After declaring the conference open, the Ruler praised the efforts of Ajman University of Science and Technology and Umm Al-Momineen Association for organizing the event that will shine light on a number of important issues affecting education and its development. “The high importance we attach to the Knowledge Day stems from our deep conviction that education is an essential building block to a bright future of our sons and daughters,” he underlined.

The Ruler also commended the stringent efforts of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research led by Minister Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan in evolving strategies and programs to develop higher education in the UAE on solid foundations.

Mr. Thamer Saeed Salman addressed the conference, on behalf of H.E Dr. Saeed Abdullah Salman, President of Ajman University of Science and Technology. He stressed AUST’s earnest endeavor through this event to shed further light on the education sector and the challenges it involves.

“What makes this conference unique is that it engages students from secondary schools and universities to enrich the debate on innovative thinking and teaching methods development, and discuss ways to meet the relevant challenges in education; most notably the provision of strong and diverse educational programs, the development of methods to incorporate the utilization of modern Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in the educational process, the training of competent teachers capable of dealing with the latest pedagogical techniques in education, and the development of effective systems to ensure a higher quality of education and its outcomes,” said Mr. Salman.

He acclaimed the choice of ‘Innovative Thinking’s Challenges to Education’ as the theme of this year’s conference as being a wise choice. “Any successful educational development, he argued, is supposed to be capable of producing a generation of innovative thinkers who are able to take on the challenges of their era. We at Ajman University of Science & Technology are keenly aware of the topmost importance of this ultimate objective. Hence, we are acting stubbornly and in consultation with specialists and experts to motivate our students to be creative, while providing the most favorable learning environment that helps them attain this goal.”

The AUST Vice President expressed his wish that the conference’s papers and eminent delegates would foster awareness of the importance of creative thinking in education, bring forward the most effective methods to produce and train innovators, and explore some of the well-known success stories in this matter.

Mrs. Mahra Hilal Al-Matyouee, Director of the Regional Centre for Educational Planning in Sharjah, which operates under the auspices of UNESCO, presented a keynote lecture in which she said that the theme discussed by the conference is one of the most important topics that contribute to building educated citizens who are competent enough to cope with the fast changes and evolutions of the present day and who are able to positively invest those developments in advancing themselves and their society. “The contemporary world’s technical and economic transformations call for the need to adopt new approaches in the development of educational systems and improve the quality of their outcomes in such a way that promotes creative thinking and innovation in education,” she noted.

 
The RCEP Director also stated the main factors that play a key role in supporting and developing innovative thinking in education, namely the teacher who is the focus of any educational system development, the curriculum in terms of its content, implementation and assessment, and the learner who should be the cornerstone of the educational process. Therefore, she added, educational programs and curricula have to place pivotal emphasis on developing student practical skills, and curricular activities should be carefully designed such that they stimulate learning and innovative skills acquisition among students.

Al-Matyouee concluded that educational systems that seek to be internationally competitive are bound to promote innovative thinking in order to keep up with the advanced world, underscoring that the current turn towards knowledge-based economy requires developing a new creative mentality which inspires innovation and initiative.

At the end of the opening ceremony, HH Shaikh Humaid Bin Rashid Al Nuaimi accompanied by Minister Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan honored the conference prominent speakers and sponsors.

The conference this year aims at addressing the topic of innovative thinking by discussing ways to advance creative thinking amongst the UAE’s youth.

Five sessions spread over two days tackled innovative thinking as a challenge to education.

The first session was entitled "Education Outcomes and the Requirements of Innovative Academic Thinking: Facts and Aspirations." The session was chaired by Dr. Hosam Sultan, Director of the National Authority of Scientific Research, and addressed the issue of educational outcomes and their requirements, besides discussing the experience of smart schools and challenges ahead. 

The Second session was themed "Challenges of Connectivity between Youth and Academic Staff," and chaired by Dr. Khaled Al Yahya, Assistant Professor and Director of the Arab Public Management Research Initiative at the Dubai School of Government. Experiences of Masdar Institute and research scholarships in different UAE universities were also discussed in this session.

The third session touched on the theme of “Innovative Thinking and Education at Stake with the World of Work”. The session was chaired by Dr. Fahar Hayati, Dean of the AUST College of Engineering and presented a number of research papers on the role of scientific research in advancing the knowledge-based economy, the role of intellectual property protection in stimulating and preserving innovation, as well as the role of research and technological advancement in developing connectivity between youth and academic staff to create impact on perfecting the educational mission.   

In view of the importance of new media in implanting the values of science and knowledge among younger generations, the conference dedicated the sessions of its second day to this very essential topic. Hence, the fourth session was entitled “New Media and Family: Towards Inculcating Knowledge Values to Younger Generations”. It was chaired by Mr. Mohamed Al Mutawae, ex-President of the UAE Sociological Association.

Many papers were showcased during this session; all of which dealt with the training of educators to be able to communicate with a technologically-advanced generation, the role of digital media in consolidating innovative thinking among the youth, the role of social networks and their contribution to enhancing the spirit of education and knowledge, in addition to narrowing the technological gap between the youth and other segments of society in this area, and highlighting the role of households in instilling the values of knowledge and education amongst different members of the community.

In the fifth and final session, chaired by Dr. Khaled Al Khaja, Dean of AUST College of Information, Mass Communication and Humanities, the final recommendations and conclusions of the conference were deliberated and approved.

Also on the second day a number of workshops were offered by the organizers with the aim of promoting interest in innovative thinking and developing teachers’ and students’ skills in new media and technology to support their quest for excellence in science and education.

The parallel exhibition showcased various student and youth projects and innovations in the areas of science and engineering.