Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge has launched its first awards program, the 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, the ADEK Awards will celebrate and incentivize school achievements, innovation, and best practises while nurturing a continuous improvement cycle through healthy competition among schools.
Winners will receive recognition and cash prizes with a total value of more than $1.6 million, with the school award prize value spent towards the winning schools’ improvement initiatives.
The ADEK Awards will recognise those of outstanding merit who contribute to building an education ecosystem that nurtures the next generation of lifelong learners. This new awards programme will celebrate schools and individuals who improve and adopt best practises and help attain Abu Dhabi’s aspiration of a world-class education system where every student, regardless of their background and learning needs, can realise their full potential and become active and productive global citizens.
Ms. Sara Awadh Issa Musallam, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge, shared.
The School Awards categories include 11 sub-categories, including the Best Parental Engagement Award, the Best Inclusion Practise Award, the Best Professional Development Programme Award, the Most Improved Award, the Best Student Wellbeing Programme Award, the Best Literacy Programme Award, and the Best Arabic Programme Award. The School Awards also recognise outstanding progress in four standardised assessments, with each category featuring different cycles and subjects.
The individual awards will cover three sub-categories for the inaugural year, including the Principal of the Year Award, the Outstanding Teacher Award, and the Unsung Hero Award. ADEK has confirmed that the awards will be expanded in the future.