DUBAI, 20th July, 2023 (WAM) — Dubai Sports Council (DSC) has completed the evaluations of government and private schools, nominated to compete in the second edition of the “Hamdan Bin Mohammed Order of Merit for Sports Education School” initiative.
Launched by the DSC, the initiative helps create and develop Dubai’s sports strategy (Sports Achievements and Excellence), attain the best marks of excellence in sports and educational work and motivate schools and students to develop. The initiative boosts schools’ efficient contribution to scout, attract and develop talent in various disciplines as part of the talent attraction and development policy, applicable in Dubai and developed by the DSC to become a base of work in sports and educational academies and entities.
The DSC implements the initiative to popularise the culture of sports among school students of various ages and multi-nationalities, because of its immense benefits on the health, activity and happiness of promising students, based on the importance of schools in this field.
A sports educational school is defined as one that endeavours to improve and develop its sports abilities by ensuring a healthy environment suitable for learning through curricula and sports programmes, working in a way that qualifies it to play an effective role in boosting community health/creating the appropriate atmosphere for fair sports practice and competition among juniors/scouting and developing sports talents/meeting the needs of school students for healthy physical activity.
Evaluation of 72 Schools
A team composed of representatives from DSC and specialist House of Global Experience in this field visited 72 schools that have qualified to compete for the title. The visitors reviewed each school’s sports facilities, equipment and programmes to accomplish the evaluation process and award points per the criteria and weights of the competition.
One government and one private school will be declared winners and be honoured in the next academic year.
Competition Criteria
Infrastructure: Decided as per the specifications, quality and efficiency of available sports facilities: (swimming pools – gyms – indoor and outdoor stadiums and the level of maintenance of the same), besides the appropriateness of facilities and the preparations of all students, including students of determination.
Sustainable Health: including the programmes, initiatives, workshops and awareness campaigns, which boost the concepts of sports and health, prevention of contemporary diseases (diabetes and obesity), and awareness of intact nutrition through school canteens.
Sports Excellence and Scouting and Developing of Talents: through activities, courses, tournaments, participations, and sports results, achieved in or outside the school and at all local, regional, continental and international levels, and through school sports talents those who are qualified and recruited in Dubai sports clubs.
School Management: the management supports the keenness to implement programmes, plans and initiatives of physical, sports and healthy activity and to attract qualified administrative and technical staff.
Sub-criteria within the initiative’s second edition also comprised additions related to the schools’ readiness to deal with any exceptional circumstances and business continuity, besides innovation and the use of modern technologies in sports activities.
It included sub-criteria related to the schools’ efforts, concerning some national and international initiatives of great impact on sports.
Among them are: Tolerance and peace in sports, since sports spirit represents the other side of tolerance. It includes many intertwined values and principles, containing justice, respect, commitment to fair play and elegant behaviour in victory or loss.
Rejecting fanaticism in sports and the role of schools in teaching students the importance of being ethical and avoiding fanaticism inconsistent with higher sports ethics.
The DSC organised a workshop in October 2022 for the management of governmental and private schools in Dubai, in the presence of representatives from the Emirates Schools Establishment and the Knowledge and Human Development Authority in Dubai to explain the criteria and weights of evaluation and to unveil new issues related to the 2nd edition of “Hamdan Bin Mohammed Order of Merit for Sports Education School”, alongside the evaluation process schedule.