HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, wife of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai, today toured the Gulf Educational Supplies and Solutions (GESS) Exhibition, the only exhibition to address the Middle East’s entire spectrum of educational needs, from early years to Higher education across the full range of educational disciplines. Held at Dubai’s Airport Expo, the exhibition took place in conjunction with the Global Education Forum (GEF), a main stream plenary conference enriched by a series of master classes and workshops, aimed at bringing teaching solutions to the region.

As part of Her tour, Princess Haya visited a number of stands throughout the exhibition hall, the first belonging to the Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Distinguished Academic Performance. The Award is an annual prize given to various individuals who undertake the mission of enhancing the educational structure. While visiting the stand, Princess Haya was given a trophy in appreciation for Her ongoing efforts towards the development of education across the region.

She also visited the UAE’s Ministry of Education stand, which highlighted the Ministry’s two main areas of focus, e-learning and inclusive education. Princess Haya, who spent much of Her time interacting with the children, listened to explanations on the importance of teaching by use of digital learning objects (e-learning) as well as providing students with special needs the opportunities to learn from peers without disabilities, developing the academic, social and vocational skills that are needed to maximize their potential (inclusive education). While at the stand, Princess Haya praised the efforts of the Ministry for providing the children of the UAE with the latest in technologies, encouraging them to better face the challenges of modern society while acquiring the skills needed to contribute to community development.

Princess Haya was accompanied by Dr. Abdalla AlAmiri, Advisor to the UAE Minister of Education and GEF General Chair; Clive Richardson, Chief Executive Officer of F&E Limited and Khawla Al Mualla Advisor to the UAE Minister of Education.

Throughout the remainder of the tour, Princess Haya visited a number of other stands, including those belonging to Ketab Technologies, Arab Bureau of Education for Gulf States, PolyVision, Oman’s Ministry of Education and Promethean, to name a few.

GESS is privileged to enjoy the continued patronage by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. This, along with the generous support of the Ministry of Education for the UAE, highlights the significance of this event to the region’s schools and educational establishments.