Abdullah: Education is the engine for development

The UAE leadership pays proper attention to education as the engine for development, visiting UAE Foreign Minister Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan emphasized on Tuesday. “The UAE has invested heavily in education out of its belief that spending on this vital sector will generate positive output on the long run, not only for the citizen but also in other development sectors,” Shaikh Abdullah said during a meeting with UAE students studying in South Korea. Towards that end, he added, the State has sent a large number of its citizens to study in leading world universities so that they may obtain, draw lessons from and transfer the experiences of other ountries as they contribute to the building of the nation. Shaikh Abdullah expressed confidence that the UAE students would shoulder the responsibility so that they would benefit to the greatest possible extent from the opportunities offered to them and come back home to contribute to national development. Shaikh Abdullah urged the students to act as ambassadors for the UAE so as to introduce the bright civilized image of the UAE to other people, and developing their skills by learning more about other cultures. The Foreign Minister assured the students that the UAE’s competent authorities were following up on the progress of their studies and working to remove any obstacles that stand in the way of them achieving their desired goals, so that they may return home, armed with science and knowledge, to contribute to the development and prosperity of the UAE under its wise leadership. During the meeting, Salim Ali, a language student, praised the scholarship system and its value and importance in helping students to complete their studies. Speaking about his own experiences, he noted that he had not only been able to learn the Korean language but also to get an insight into Korean culture through his interaction with the people of Korea. He thanked Shaikh Abdullah for his meeting with the students and for the opportunities which the UAE Government had provided them, going on to express his gratitude for the unstinting support and care shown to them by the country’s leadership. Shaikh Abdullah also met with a number of UAE citizens receiving medical treatment in Korea’s hospitals, as part of the desire of the leadership to show its concern about the health and well-being of citizens, wherever they are, and to remove any obstacles that they might face. He expressed to the patients his best wishes for their speedy recovery and for a safe return home.