Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge has unveiled its first awards program – “ADEK Awards” -to celebrate the outstanding achievements of people, schools, and initiatives across Abu Dhabi’s education ecosystem.
Open to all public, private and Charter schools in the emirate, “ADEK Awards”will celebrate and incentivize school achievements, innovation, and best practices while nurturing a continuous improvement cycle through healthy competition among schools.
Winners will receive recognition and cash prizes with a total value of over AED 6,000,000, with school award prize value spent towards the winning schools’ improvement initiatives.
“The ADEKAwards will recognize those of outstanding merit who contribute to building an education ecosystem which nurtures the next generation of lifelong learners,” explained Her Excellency Sara Awadh Issa Musallam, Minister of State for Early Education, Chairman of the Federal Agency of Early Education, and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge. “This new awards program will celebrate schools and individuals who improve and adopt best practices and help attain Abu Dhabi’s aspiration of a world-class education system where every student – regardless of their background and learning needs – can realize their full potential and become active and productive global citizens.
“Realizing these aspirations would not be possible without the tremendous efforts of dedicated teachers, passionate educators, and tireless support staff who raise the bar every day in their commitment to support opportunities which improve the quality of learning and elevate education standards. These are the people we wish to recognize, and the awards will support the diversity of education initiatives, highlight the outstanding work of education professionals, and acknowledge their critical role as role models for the wider sector,” added HE Musallam.
The School Awards categories include 11 sub-categories; namely: the Best Parental Engagement Award, Best Inclusion Practice Award, Best Professional Development Program Award, Most Improved Award, Best Student Wellbeing Program Award, Best Literacy Program Award, and Best Arabic Program Award.The School Awards also recognize outstanding progress in four standardized assessments, with each category featuring different cycles and subjects.
On the other hand, the Individual Awards will cover three sub-categories for the inaugural year, including Principal of the Year Award, Outstanding Teacher Award, and Unsung Hero Award.
ADEK has confirmed that the awards will be expanded in the future. “As the categories grow over time, we hope they continue to inspire the emergence of meaningful initiatives that further boost the quality of education provision and encourage educators to continue their strive to enhance learning experiences across our ecosystem,” HE Musallam said.
Next year’s editions will see the introduction of international assessment categories including the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), and Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS).
Submissions to the awards will open until 29 September 2023. An expert judging panel will assess each submission to verify its compliancy with the set criteria and standards, before announcing the winners in a special ceremony. For more details about the “ADEK Awards” and its criteria please visit https://educationawards.ae.
For more information, visit adek.gov.ae or follow ADEK on social media:
- Instagram: @adek_insta
- Twitter: ADEK_tweet
- Facebook: Department of Education and Knowledge
- YouTube: ADEK Abu Dhabi
