UAE to provide full scholarships for children of front line healthcare workers

Abu Dhabi: A brand new initiative to support COVID-19 frontliners will provide scholarships for children of frontline healthcare professionals to attend public schools across the UAE.

The Hayyakum initiative has been set up as a partnership between the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Frontline Heroes Office. It aims to provide children of frontline healthcare professionals with access to quality education, while also alleviating financial stress arising from the need to pay tuition

The scholarships will cover all nationalities and all frontline healthcare workers – from doctors and nurses to hospital cleaners. Scholarships are for public schools only.

So far, 1,850 children of these frontliners have received the scholarships towards the ongoing academic year, which will extend until their year of graduation. Others looking to apply need to submit their details before September 30.

According to an MoE statement about the initiative sent on Wednesday, Hayyakum is part of a wider collaborative framework between the MoE and the Frontline Heroes Office to launch and implement other education-focussed initiatives to benefit the children of health sector frontliners.

The scholarships cover the cost of tuition, laptops and transport until graduation from high school.

Children of frontline professionals from various nationalities have already been places in public schools across the UAE under Hayyakum.

Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, chairman of the board of the Frontline Heroes Office, expressed his gratitude to the staff who have placed the health and safety of people across the UAE ahead of their own.

“Our frontline professionals are the true heroes of the UAE and we thank them from the bottom of our hearts. Their selfless service to their communities has helped us to get through this difficult time and they are a shining example of the true values and culture of the UAE,” he said.

“We at Frontline Heroes Office hope to provide the same level of support and compassion that those on the frontline have provided to millions of people across our nation. We wish their children every success as they embark upon a new school year and we look forward to watching them follow in their parents’ footsteps to become outstanding members of society,” Al Nahyan added.

“The ‘Hayyakum’ initiative launched by the Ministry in partnership with Frontline Heroes Office showcases the immense kindness the UAE is known for. The MoE seeks to directly provide educational support for the children of frontline healthcare professionals so they can carry continue their invaluable and noble work,” said Hussain Al Hammadi, UAE Minister of Education.

The partnership with the MoE is the first project announced in conjunction with the Frontline Heroes Office, which will deliver on its mandate to support frontliners by developing a wide range of partnerships and collaborations with government entities, the private sector and the wider community across the UAE.

The Frontline Heroes Office was established in July 2020 by decree of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and is under the direction of the Chairman of the Frontline Heroes Office, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

Among the frontliners to be supported by the Office are medical and non-medical staff working in the health sector, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, cleaning personnel, protection workers, security personnel and sanitisation workers.