Emirates Wildlife Society in association with WWF (EWS-WWF) have launched the 'Heroes of the UAE Schools programme' in partnership with the Ministry of Education and HSBC Bank-Middle East Ltd as part of their ongoing programme to tackle climate change and the UAE’s ecological footprint. Speaking at the launch, H.E Humaid Mohamed Obaid Al Qutami, UAE Minister of Education said, "Science has provided us with overwhelming evidence of the dangers to the planet from climate change. And education is the key for understanding this and securing a sustainable future.” “The impacts of the choices that we make each day can be huge. The Ministry of Education is pleased to introduce the ‘Heroes of the UAE Schools Programme’ to schools across the nation, and we encourage all schools to take advantage by contacting EWS-WWF offices in Dubai or Abu Dhabi."
Razan Khalifa Al MubarakThe Heroes of the UAE schools programme has two key elements. The first element includes a new climate change learning module, on the already widely adopted online ‘Interactive Enviro-Spellathon’ – www.envirospellathon.com, which culminates in a national climate change quiz for students 13-14 years of age to compete and demonstrate their knowledge. The second element includes an energy and water reduction competition for schools to motivate students to take collective action. Participating schools will have three months to demonstrate energy and water conservation abilities which will be judged by their utility bills as well as supporting documents of the methods employed to conserve energy and water. Rewards for the winners of the two competitions include ‘school energy and water makeovers’ and personal laptops sponsored by HSBC Bank Middle East Ltd. “Kaltham Al Koheji, Regional Head of Corporate Sustainability, HSBC Bank Middle East Ltd, commented, “The ‘Heroes of the UAE’ schools programme is a unique educational initiative that will encourage natural competitiveness together with learning, to drive home a very important message on the need to tackle climate change, a message we very much believe in.
“HSBC’s support for the Heroes of the UAE schools programme goes beyond financial assistance. We are fully engaged and committed to helping with the implementation of the programme over the coming months,” added Al Koheji.
At the launch, Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, Director of EWS-WWF added, “Children will have to live in a world with climate change increasingly impacting their lives. We believe that the ‘Heroes of the UAE Schools Programme’ will give them vital knowledge on these issues but more importantly equip them with the tools to take positive action to safeguard their future and catalyse a community wide movement in the UAE.”
