The United Arab Emirates University (UAEU), a public research institution located in Al Ain and the oldest university in the country, has announced that it will be participating in Expo 2020 Dubai with an independent pavilion situated in the Mobility District. The expo will be held in Dubai from October 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022. 

 

The pavilion’s central programme, the Pathfinders, has invited applications from high school graduates, enrolled students or recent graduates (within one year) from a UAE or an international university. The first iteration of the Pathfinders Program, 1.0, currently on-going, will conclude in September with over 46 participants.

 

Talking about the curriculum of the future, Executive Director of the UAEU pavilion at Expo 2020 and lead of the Pathfinders programme Prof. Nihel Chabrak said: "The curriculum is designed to equip students with the skills of the future by infusing in learners reasoning, problem-identifying and problem-solving, higher level of abstraction, system thinking, creativity, experimentation, and collaboration, teamwork, leadership, effective communication, values of citizenship, quality, and ambition, to make their transition towards existing and future employment opportunities seamless."

 

Experts from leading private, government, and not-for-profit organisations will address the programme. Participants will be recognised and awarded during a graduation ceremony, a statement from the university said. 

 

The resulting educational outputs and experiences will be used to enrich and set up the final version of the curriculum of the institute of the future, it added. 

 

Applicants will be assessed through their motivation and willingness to initiate a self-discovery path to identify their purpose and talent, develop their mindset, and a lifelong learning habit to explore better challenges faced by society. A total of 40 Pathfinders will be selected for Pathfinders Program 2.0, 50% of them will be from UAEU.

 

Activities will be planned and conducted in line with the national health and safety protocols in the UAE.-TradeArabia News Service