The International Fund for Houbara Conservation (IFHC), the global leader in pre-emptive species conservation, has held an inaugural ‘Conservation Education: The Houbara Model’ awards ceremony to mark the innovative education programme’s stellar first full year in the UAE national curriculum.
Designed to celebrate the education programme’s major milestones and recognise the efforts of schools, educators and students, the ceremony was attended by His Excellency Engineer Abdulrahman Al Hammadi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education (MoE). His Excellency handed out accolades in five categories: Houbara Conservation Champions, Curriculum Integration, Houbara Action Project, Community Outreach and Programme Sustainability.
Since piloting its education programme in late 2017 across seven schools, IFHC’s ‘Conservation Education: the Houbara Model’ has educated students on the importance of the Houbara, its natural habit and the importance of a protected and balanced ecosystem in the UAE’s cultural heritage.
Integrated into the UAE national school curriculum in October 2018, in partnership with the (MoE) and the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK), IFHC’s education programme is now taught in 40 schools across all seven Emirates, with IFHC engaging 36,000 students and more than 350 teachers on houbara-themed education across all subjects.
“Today is a landmark moment in our efforts to create the conservation leaders of tomorrow and we celebrate the future game changers and decision makers who can really make a lasting difference in the future for Houbara and other vulnerable species,” said His Excellency Majid Al Mansouri, Managing Director, IFHC. “In the 12 short months since our conservation-themed education programme was implemented into the national school curriculum, we have recorded significant milestones – but our journey is only beginning.”
“As we continue one of the world’s largest species conservation efforts and international stakeholder outreach, we recognise the future is in the hands of our children. The commitment and hard work of everyone involved in the programme reaffirms our intent to evolve the programme and adapt it to suit the needs of countries and education regulators across all of the houbara’s range countries,” added His Excellency Al Mansouri.
Ayesha Jammal, and Arwa Yaslam, from City of Baniyas School, Abu Dhabi, went on stage to collect one of two Houbara Conservation Champions Awards, with Falaj Al Mualla Girls School in Umm Al Quwain collecting the second.
“We have learnt of the importance of the houbara in our lives and the lives of our grandfathers,” said Ayesha. “We must do everything we can to protect and preserve the delicate environment which we call home – this is the duty of all Emiratis and UAE residents.”
As it strives to enrol more schools in the ‘Conservation Education: The Houbara Model’, IFHC will continue developing and adapting curriculum content in partnership with the MoE. The Fund has also committed to continue training and developing teachers on how to adopt the programme across various subjects in schools, while continuing to introduce innovative educational tools to better engage students in the digital education age.
