Tamkeen celebrates students in 3rd “A9eel” School Festival Finale

The finale of the 3^rd “A9eel” School Festival, a Tamkeen initiative in collaboration with the Ministry of Education aimed at instilling sound ethics and positive attitudes in the work environment, was held yesterday (March 7^th) at the Gulf Hotel.

Mr. Mahmood Hashem Al-Kooheji, Chief Executive of Tamkeen, and Mr. Jassim Al-Harban, Director of Student Services in the Ministry of Education presided over the event, which was held under the patronage of HE Dr. Majid bin Ali Al-Nuaimi, Minister of Education. Senior officials, school administrators and teachers, and students were also in attendance.

690 students from 20 government secondary schools across Bahrain took part in the third round of the “A9eel” programme, which was inaugurated in 2010. In the programme, students are split into teams which receive extensive training delivered through 12 modules over a period of three months. The course culminates with a final session in which each student team presents a simulation of what they learned. The best presentation then qualifies to compete against the other schools in the awards ceremony.

After the representative student projects from each participating school were presented in front of the audience, a panel of expert judges comprised of Ministry of Education, Bahrain Teachers College, and private sector representatives selected the winning teams.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Al-Kooheji noted that nurturing youth-oriented initiatives is a national duty, saying that Tamkeen has placed this integral segment of society atop its priorities.

“We are on a mission to develop pioneering programmes which cater to Bahrain’s youth and empowers them to reach their ambitions,’ he said. “These efforts complement the outstanding work by organizations such as the Ministry of Education who we work in close partnership with to ensure that our endeavors in this area are aligned.”

Al-Istiqlal Secondary School for Girls took home the first place prize, while Al Hidd Secondary School for Girls and Saar Secondary School for Girls placed second and third, respectively.

The “A9eel” programme was designed in partnership with Bahrain Teachers College in the University of Bahrain and a select group of international experts. As part of the collaboration, Tamkeen provides the curricula and training for teachers who take part in the programme.