Sharjah has always been a pioneer in culture and education.
H.H. Dr. Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qassimi has transformed Sharjah into a modern oasis of development and progress, opening the doors of culture, learning and literature for all who wish to learn. Thus, a new era has begun under his leadership, with the building of many schools , liberaries , clubs and cultural centres.
The current and forthcoming scientific growth in the emirate will ensure that the standards and expectations are met for a vibrant educational environment that enables Sharjah to improve its educational and cultural position to highest international levels, and to express , through quality results, the scope of sustainable growth achieved under the sponsorship and directives of H.H. Dr. Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qassimi, who insists on the significant role of education as a basic element of growth and progress. The results of the transformation of the emirate’s educational infrastructure have become tangible, as educational issues have taken first priority in the philosophy and methodology of our government’s engagements, and educational development programs and projects receive limitless support, resulting in superior quality human assets. The wise leadership of H.H. Dr. Sheikh Sultan emphaizes the importance of excellence and availability of high levels of service and quality.
The cultural project that H.H. Sheikh Sultan is keen to adopt and carry out stems from deep principles in the roots of the Arab and Islamic culture . Sheikh Sultan is eager to reflect this spirit in the projects and plans we implement in the educational, cultural and scientific sectors and to embed this spirit deeply into the minds of our youth, so as to maintain our cultural idnetity and protect it from dissolution by the current popular trend of globalisation.
H.H. Sheikh Sultan said that the building of our future is conditional upon the building up of man, since human beings are the most important element in the development and grogress of any nation. The building up of man is the cornerstone of the growth and development of any other aspect of life as we know it.
In H.H. Sheikh Sultan’s own words, “Culture is the cornerstone of the growth we seek. It is that vital element that creates a balance between the cultural belonging and the spirit of the age. Culture creates a state of self-development and self-discipline and leads the human being to show the values of kindness, benevolence and brotherly relations with others. Education is the key to new horizons of development and progress. “
H.H. Dr. Sheikh Sultan has been unsparing in his efforts to promote Sharjah as a hub for culture, education and the arts , developing a policy aimed at raising cultural awareness among UAE nationals, focusing on the importance of science and education and setting up the necessary educational infrastucture to provide equal rights to education. This policy has born fruit and multi-dimensional, state of the art educational centres have been established to cater to the various needs of the people.
Home to the UAE’s first official school, which was built in the 1950’s and still exists in what is known toaday as the Heritage Area, Sharjah now boasts such high profile educational centres as the American Universtiy of Sharjah, the Continuing Education Centre, Sharjah Universtiy, The Higher Colleges of Technology, Sharjah Women’s College, Horizon College, Sharjah College and the Sharjah Institute for Arab Calligraphy and Ornamentations, the Sharjah Theatre Institute and the Discovery Centre, among other prestigious educational institutions, which make Sharjah an indisputable destination for learning and education, inspired by the vision of H.H. Sheikh Sultan and his avid support for educational achievements.
The reclamation of our cultural identity is a renaissance of our civilization and a return to the foundations upon which that idnetity was built, as the first emirate to establish schools in the UAE in the 1900’s, including Al Eslah School and Al Qassimiah School. It was also in Sharjah that the first newspaper was published and the first cultural club, Al Islamic Forum, was established in 1936, followed by the Arabic Cultural Club in 1947 . Following the establishment of the federation of the UAE , H.H. Dr Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qassimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah , has been keen in his efforts, as a man of letters, to bridge the present and future of the emirate with its rich cultural past. It is no wonder, then, that the emirate has become the region’s cultural capital.
In a bid to enable the emirate to take the lead in term of cultural matters in the region, H.H. Sheikh Sultan has issued a decree on the establishment of The Department of Culture and Information, which will supervise and organise cultural activities in the emirate. It was also H.H. who was behind establishment of the Sharjah World Book Fair, one of the most important cultural fairs in the Arab World.
The visionary strategy and far sighted plans being implemented in the emirate of Sharjah have a special focus on support for the educational and cultural revival process and on teaching passing on the ethics and values of our islamic religion to our future generations. To this end, H.H. Dr. Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qassimi himself has come to lead the Supreme Council for childhood.
