Under the Unified Champion School(UCS) worldwide programme, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has committed USD 25 million to expand UCS(an initiative undertaken by the Special Olympics) to 6 countries namely, India, Argentina, Egypt, Pakistan, Romania and Rwanda with an aim to empower intellectually disabled children. The 4 year project will create 120 UCS across 12 states in India, which will play a pivotal role to make Indian education system more inclusive.
Key People
The announcement was made at the virtual event graced by the Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates(UAE) to India Dr Ahmed Abdul Rahman Albanna. Other attendees include Dipak Natali, President and Managing Director of Special Olympics Asia Pacific Region and Air Marshal Keelor, Founder and CEO of Special Olympics Bharat among others.
Note– The grant will also benefit Special Olympics Bharat, a National Sports Federation.
Significance of UCSÂ
i.The initiative encourages and empowers young people with and without intellectual disabilities to create lasting social change through inclusion in education, which is in line with the theme of the International Youth Day 2020- “Youth Engagement for Global Action”.
ii.It will root the values of tolerance and inclusion in educational systems around the world.
It’s growth within the UAE and around the world, will establish the legacy of the Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi 2019, the 1st Special Olympics World Games hosted in the Middle East and North Africa region
Key Info
i.Young people with intellectual disabilities are among those who are underserved by education systems globally.Â
ii.Of the 65 million primary-school-age children who are out of school around the world, nearly half of them have disabilities.
iii.It is estimated that less than 5% of children with disabilities complete school.
UAE’s Another Commitment
In addition to the grant, UAE has also committed to bring UCS programming to all of its public schools in the coming years, which will make UAE the world’s only country to make such a commitment at the national level.
About UAE:
Capital– Abu Dhabi
Currency– United Arab Emirates dirham
President of UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi– H. H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Vice-President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai – H. H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al MaktoumÂ
Recent Related News:
i.The Asian Development Bank (ADB) & Qatar-based Education Above All (EAA) Foundation Collaborated in USD 100 million Project to put at least 3.2 lakh out-of-school children,including refugees and internally displaced children into quality primary education.
ii.The Government of India has inked 5 Memorandum of understanding (MoUs) with Afghanistan under the former’s high impact community development projects (HICDP) programme. The objective behind these MoUs is the development of educational infrastructure in four Afghan provinces namely Nooristan, Farah, Badakhshan and Kapisa.
