Al Maktoum Institute offers a summer school for UAE students

The program, commencing June 27 to July 15, 2008, will be offered in Dundee, Scotland.

The focus of the program will be on learning about Scotland through classes about Scottish history, traditions, culture, as well as, various practical sessions in Scottish dancing and cooking.

The classes will be made up of lectures, seminars, class discussions and debates, taking place Monday through Friday. It will also include, study trips and other activities related to the theme of the program including visits to places of historical or cultural interest in Scotland.

Participants will interact with other students from different universities, in a relaxed 'summer school' atmosphere and will be required to complete a daily journal of their activities in a printed format. All participants went through a rigorous selection process and met several criteria including having a top 10% class grade average, demonstrating excellent English language skills, being in their final year of their undergraduate studies, and being excellent ambassadors for their college and country.

The Al Maktoum Institute Summer School Program is introduced to enrich UAE female students' experiences in multiculturalism and international exchange programs. In an information session held at Dubai Women's College (DWC), His Excellency Mirza Al Sayyegh, Deputy Chairman of Al Maktoum Foundation in Dubai, congratulated all students selected to participate in the program and asked them to act as ambassadors for their country.

'The Dundee Al Maktoum Institute has been playing a critical role in advancing the education of many people. The Summer School Program will help our female students appreciate the significance of debate with people from other cultures and will give them the opportunity to carry the tolerance message of Islam to other students in Scotland,' he noted.

The Al Maktoum Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies in Dundee, sponsored by His Highness Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance and Industry of the United Arab Emirates, 'aims to be a centre of excellence in the Study of Islam and Muslims, in particular to promote intelligent debate and understanding of Islam and the role of Muslims in the contemporary world, and to be a place of knowledge and reflection on the issues facing a diverse and multicultural world in the twenty-first century.' (www.almi.abdn.ac.uk).

'Ten of the participants are Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) students who were selected based on their abilities to communicate a strong message of leadership and excellence while on the program as well as their excellent academic records. Exchange programs such as this one add immensely to the depth of knowledge and vision our students will have after finishing the program,' noted Dr. Tayeb Kamali, Vice Chancellor of the HCT.