Al-Azhar Grand Imam, Prof. Ahmad At-Tayyeb, received a delegation from the United Arab Emirates, including Ms. Kholoud Al Qasimi, Assistant Undersecretary for the Inspection Sector at the UAE Ministry of Education, and Dr. Hamad Ahmed Al Darmaki, Secretary General of the Mohammed bin Zayed (MBZ) Award for Best Teacher.

At the beginning of the meeting, the Grand Imam welcomed the delegation of the United Arab Emirates, stressing that the Best Teacher Award is inspiring because it motivates teachers to develop themselves, a case which is reflected in the advancement of the educational process in the Arab world.

The Grand Imam expressed his hope that the ministries of education in the Arab world follow this trend in order to keep pace with the rapid developments taking place in various fields all over the world. HE explained that Al-Azhar is full of talents and potentials that have contributed to enriching the educational process in Egypt and the Arab and Muslim world.

The delegation members affirmed that the award aims to enrich the spirit of competition among teachers of Arab countries in a way that benefits the educational process in the Arab world. They added that His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed values knowledge and education and makes a great effort to advance this important field, and that this award is a step on the road to education reform in the Arab world.

Al Qasimi explained that they are preparing introductory meetings to explain the objectives and criteria of the award in a number of countries.

Dr. Hamad Ahmed Al Darmaki said that the award management has set a number of criteria to ensure transparency and integrity in selecting winning teachers. This helps to achieve the main objective of the competition, which is to motivate Arab teachers to develop themselves. He stressed their interest and pride in Al-Azhar’s participation in the competition and their keenness to benefit from its great experience and potential to enrich this award.