Sharjah Ruler orders free education for Sudanese students

Sharjah: His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, has directed the Sharjah Private Education Authority (SPEA) not to collect any fees from Sudanese pupils at Sudan Private School and to refund every nominal fee already taken from parents. His Highness said he had established the school for members of Sharjah's Sudanese community who could not afford to enrol their children elsewhere in the emirate, intending it to be entirely free of charge, and that he follows the school's affairs directly and continuously. He also urged Sharjah government employees to complete their higher studies, announcing the start of the first cohort of the "Tumouh" (Aspiration) programme, in which 60 male and female staff are enrolled for a postgraduate diploma that will allow them to go on to a master's degree at the University of Exeter in the UK. "Give back what you've taken from those in need." Speaking in a phone-in on the "Direct Line" programme, hosted by Mohammed Hassan Khalaf, Director-General of the Sharjah Broadcasting Authority, His Highness explained the school's origins, "We set up Sudan Private School because we found some Sudanese parents didn't have the means to enrol their children in schools, so we opened a private school for them and took on the running of the teachers and everything to do with the school without charging parents anything. It appears that the Sharjah Private Education Authority put some fees in place and called them 'nominal', but a nominal fee is a lot for someone in need, so we've instructed the Authority not to take any fees at all, large or small, from these pupils." He added, "We are in constant contact with those running the school, and we follow every detail. When a teacher hits a pupil, we end his employment immediately. When we find a teacher who isn't up to the job, we train and develop him and give him everything he needs to teach effectively - and if he does not improve, we remove him from the school. And we say, from the platform of 'Direct Line', Sharjah Private Education Authority, give back the money you've taken from people in need." His comments came in response to a message sent to the programme by the parent of Sudanese pupils, who wrote: "We, the children of the Sudanese community in Sharjah, were granted a school as an honour from His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah. After a full year of study, we were asked for high tuition fees and did not receive certificates unless we paid the outstanding fees along with this year's fees, even though the school was supposed to be entirely free as an honour from His Highness." His Highness also offered guidance to Sharjah government employees hoping to pursue postgraduate qualifications, recalling a talk he once gave to a room full of prospective students: "When postgraduate programmes launched in Sharjah, I gave a short address to students wanting to enrol. When I walked into the hall, I found it packed, and their questions were numerous, scattered and disconnected. I told them I'd come to share some advice from my own experience of postgraduate study - chief among it, postgraduate study has to be in a specialism that benefits people, society, and knowledge itself. I advise the postgraduate student to focus on their studies, to clear their mind for it and give it their full attention rather than treating it as a side pursuit. Building knowledge in a person's mind is like construction: it starts in nursery, then kindergarten, then school, then university, and so on - each a sequential, connected stage in laying the scientific foundations of the mind. If a single brick falls from that structure, the whole thing collapses." He continued, "So I say to our fellow students: I will not award a doctorate to someone who studies it half-heartedly, because tomorrow they'll be teaching young people and students, some of whom will go on to postgraduate study themselves. If a doctor teaches students material they haven't mastered, that's an academic disaster. So to postgraduate students, I say: please give knowledge its due. Seek out learning, gather information, and sail with us on the ship of knowledge and understanding. And to teachers, university heads and our educational institutions, I say: be kind to those who seek knowledge." He added that the Tumouh (Aspiration) programme, open to any government employee in the emirate wanting to develop themselves professionally, is a one-year postgraduate diploma, after which staff can go on to complete a master's degree at the University of Exeter with a further year of study. "Thankfully, the first cohort began their studies this year - 60 employees from various government departments in the emirate. I say to our people: please, work hard, and know that I am following your work, your contribution, and everything you bring to your roles." Turning to a different subject, His Highness shared an observation on the natural world, discussing the intellige