ABU DHABI // “You are better than us and you have to be better than us – there is no option, you have to be better than your fathers and grandfathers.”
With these words, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed urged youths to learn skills that will make them globally competitive.
The UAE will need generations of young engineers and scientists as it shifts from oil towards a knowledge-based economy, said Sheikh Mohammed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.
“The UAE is going through a stage where the key component of our economy, which is oil, is coming to an end,” he said at the Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis for Future Generations.
“This will happen in your lifetime, not mine, which is why we need to secure our homeland from now. We bet the UAE will be No 1 with your education, and we will not settle for No 2.”
Sheikh Mohammed said the future would bring new and complex challenges but that the country was ready to plough resources into education.
“Those who take the lead take it by doing three things,” he said. “First, science to be able to manoeuvre; second, knowledge to be able to heavily invest in education; and third, a very wise leadership with a clear vision and a roadmap to the right direction.”
Today’s students are a very important generation and a source of pride for the country, Sheikh Mohammed said. “The knowledge you have in this generation and the technology you are learning have to be the best in the world.
“We have to ensure the new generation is equipped with knowledge and science so they can represent our competitive advantage in front of the whole world. Our only choice is quality.”
Sheikh Mohammed spoke of engineering as one of the most vital skills for tomorrow’s UAE.
“We need engineering, we cannot have enough of it,” he said. “A career should be a profession, not a hobby.
“Although we live in an unstable region that has challenges and different viewpoints, I am very optimistic by nature and I believe that the UAE today is more like a light that illuminates a dark land.
“You are the real wealth, not the 3 million barrels of oil. You are the future of this nation’s security and safety net. We are in a good condition now but we want to establish the vision for 50 years ahead.
“I am certain from what I have witnessed from my simple interaction with bright minds and hopeful optimistic faces that we are betting on the right people and the right generation for the future of the UAE.”
He said learning was not always linked to age, rather to hard work.
“There are so many other people on the other side of the world and it is not a bad thing to learn from them. We should know about other cultures, customs and traditions because, 25 years from now in your generation, you will have to deal with other countries to make our own Emirati companies profitable.”
Young Emiratis were called upon to act like ambassadors representing their country.
“We should never be arrogant when it comes to the reputation of our country and anything positive you do is an Emirati deed, so all of us are responsible for shaping, introducing and projecting a positive image of the UAE.”
cmalek@thenational.ae
WHAT IS GRAPHENE?
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were experimenting with sticky tape and graphite, the material used as lead in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But when they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics.
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
GRAN%20TURISMO
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How to register as a donor
1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention
2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants
3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register.
4) The campaign uses the hashtag #donate_hope
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Under 19 World Cup
Group A: India, Japan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka
Group B: Australia, England, Nigeria, West Indies
Group C: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Scotland, Zimbabwe
Group D: Afghanistan, Canada, South Africa, UAE
UAE fixtures
Saturday, January 18, v Canada
Wednesday, January 22, v Afghanistan
Saturday, January 25, v South Africa
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MATCH INFO
Red Star Belgrade v Tottenham Hotspur, midnight (Thursday), UAE
Manchester United's summer dealings
In
Victor Lindelof (Benfica) £30.7 million
Romelu Lukaku (Everton) £75 million
Nemanja Matic (Chelsea) £40 million
Out
Zlatan Ibrahimovic Released
Wayne Rooney (Everton) Free transfer
Adnan Januzaj (Real Sociedad) £9.8 million
Which products are to be taxed?
To be taxed:
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
Products excluded from the ‘sweetened drink’ category would contain at least 75 per cent milk in a ready-to-drink form or as a milk substitute, baby formula, follow-up formula or baby food, beverages consumed for medicinal use and special dietary needs determined as per GCC Standardisation Organisation rules
The biog
Hometown: Cairo
Age: 37
Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror
Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing
Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition
Stan%20Lee
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WandaVision
Starring: Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany
Directed by: Matt Shakman
Rating: Four stars