What is Hamdan talent scale: How UAE finds the next generation of geniuses to build its future
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Bright, agile, and future-ready minds.
Recognizing this, the UAE has placed exceptional focus on finding and nurturing its most gifted youth, early, accurately, and inclusively. At the center of this national strategy is the Hamdan Talent Scale: a groundbreaking scientific tool that's reshaping how the country identifies and develops its next generation of innovators, scientists, and leaders.
Uncovering Gifted Minds: Results That Speak for Themselves
Since early 2025, nearly 9,000 students have undergone evaluations through the national Talent Identification Program.
The result: over 400 gifted students have been identified in just a few months.
Dr. Mariam Al Ghawi, Director of the Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Centre for Giftedness and Innovation, said:
'Since the beginning of 2025, nearly 9,000 students have been evaluated through the national Talent Identification Program, resulting in the discovery of more than 400 gifted students. This outcome underscores the accuracy and efficiency of the scale.
It reinforces the development of tailored programs to support this exceptional group of learners.'
To date, more than 2,000 gifted students have already been identified through the program. Many of them are currently enrolled in specialized academic tracks that emphasize STEM education, innovation labs, and expert mentorship, a system closely aligned with the UAE's long-term vision for national innovation and human capital development.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Dr. Al Ghawi emphasized:
'It is considered one of the most advanced systems for identifying gifted and talented individuals in the Arab world.'
What Is the Hamdan Talent Scale?
Designed for students in Grades 4 through 12, the Hamdan Talent Scale is part of a national effort to identify and support gifted learners using a culturally relevant, research-based approach. Dr. Mariam Al Ghawi explained how the tool works and why it stands out:
'The test is a scientifically developed tool designed to identify gifted students in grades 4 through 12.
Initiated by the Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation, this test combines international research with local cultural and educational values, offering a comprehensive assessment of students' intellectual, academic, and creative abilities.'
How Gifted Students Are Selected
The program uses a three-stage process to ensure accurate and fair identification of talent:
Nomination: Students may be nominated by their schools or apply directly via the Foundation's official website.
Screening: Participants undergo assessments that evaluate cognitive skills, creativity, and academic performance.
Selection: Those who meet the defined talent criteria are enrolled into long-term development programs.
'This process ensures fairness and accessibility, covering public and private schools across the seven emirates,' Dr.
Al Ghawi added.
Opportunities That Follow: A Path to Growth
Students selected through the Hamdan Talent Scale gain access to a world of opportunity. The program is built around STEM and arts enrichment, including:
Advanced academic tracks
Innovation labs
National and international competitions
Expert mentorship programs
Global exposure and collaboration
These experiences are designed to cultivate critical thinking, leadership, and creativity, key attributes for the UAE's future innovators and leaders.
Notably, participation is entirely free of charge. Activities are conducted on weekends, school holidays, or through school visits.
Development programs are structured to evolve gradually over eight years, ensuring long-term impact and sustainability.
Open to All: A National Movement for Talent
One of the hallmark features of the initiative is its inclusivity. Open to students of all nationalities, the program reflects the UAE's broader vision for a future-ready education system. Since launch, more than 2,200 talented students have been identified, with a target of 5,000 students by 2030.
Beyond student support, the program also invests in:
Specialized training for teachers
Awareness campaigns for families
Strategic partnerships with schools
These initiatives aim to create a national culture that celebrates and nurtures talent, aligning with the goals of the UAE Centennial Vision 2071.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
09-08-2025
- Time of India
UAE: Hamdan Centre for Giftedness sends top students to prestigious Cambridge Pre-University Programme
Students from the UAE's Hamdan Centre for Giftedness and Innovation, part of Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Medical and Educational Sciences, are currently taking part in the prestigious Pre-University Programme at the University of Cambridge's Fitzwilliam College. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Held from July 27 to August 9, 2025, the initiative provides gifted students with a rigorous academic experience, global cultural exchange, and hands-on exposure in scientific disciplines, furthering the Hamdan Centre's mission to shape a generation of innovative thinkers equipped for the future. A prestigious global platform for gifted students The University of Cambridge Pre-University Programme, hosted at Fitzwilliam College, brings together more than 250 high-achieving students from 15 different countries. Taking place over two weeks from 27 July to 9 August 2025, the programme offers participants an immersive academic experience within one of the world's leading universities. Students engage in a wide array of lectures and practical workshops spanning key disciplines such as engineering, chemistry, medicine, and the humanities. The programme is structured to promote cross-disciplinary learning and foster exposure to different schools of thought and problem-solving methodologies. Beyond academic instruction, the students participate in activities focused on developing soft skills, including communication, leadership, teamwork, and cross-cultural understanding. The presence of a globally diverse student body ensures a vibrant environment for international exchange, helping students build connections and expand their worldviews. UAE participation and the role of Hamdan Centre Representing the United Arab Emirates, a select group of students from the Hamdan Centre for Giftedness and Innovation are attending this year's programme. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Their participation reflects the Centre's broader vision of enabling young Emirati talent to learn from top global institutions and take part in high-level academic networks. Dr. Mariam Al Ghawi, Director of the Hamdan Centre, underscored the importance of such exposure. According to her, this experience contributes to expanding students' scientific understanding, enhancing their confidence, nurturing a spirit of research and innovation, and preparing them to be 'ambassadors of knowledge and excellence' in both local and global contexts. She emphasized that the Centre's approach extends beyond classroom academics—focusing equally on students' psychological, emotional, and social development. The programme, she added, is one of many initiatives that create a holistic educational environment for gifted learners. Participation in the Cambridge initiative directly supports the UAE's long-term goals of nurturing globally competent innovators and building a knowledge-driven economy. About the Hamdan Centre for Giftedness and innovation The Hamdan Centre for Giftedness and Innovation, established in 2015, is an initiative of the Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Medical and Educational Sciences. Its core mission is to identify, support, and empower gifted students across science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. The Centre operates with advanced facilities that include state-of-the-art laboratories, workshops, and learning spaces, all designed to support innovation, experimentation, and research. It offers: Tailored mentoring Specialised training programmes Access to local and international academic competitions These resources enable students not just to deepen their academic capabilities but to apply their skills in real-world, challenge-based contexts. One of the Centre's flagship efforts, the Talent Discovery Programme, has been operational since 2017. To date, it has assessed over 39,000 students across the UAE, identifying 2,207 as gifted from 122 schools and institutions. The Centre aims to raise this number to at least 5,000 gifted students by 2030. Long-term impact and vision Participation in elite academic programmes like Cambridge's Pre-University initiative plays a vital role in the Centre's overarching mission. Students benefit from: Advanced subject knowledge Research-oriented practical training Independent learning capabilities Exposure to global academic standards These outcomes align with the UAE's vision of preparing its youth for future leadership, entrepreneurship, and scientific excellence. The multidisciplinary and international framework of the programme helps develop adaptability, problem-solving skills, and cultural awareness, traits essential for success in both academic and professional domains.
Time of India
03-08-2025
- Time of India
Chaos, gangs, gunfire: Gaza aid fails to reach most needy
Paris, Aug 03, 2025 -The trickle of food aid Israel allows to enter Gaza after nearly 22 months of war is seized by Palestinians risking their lives under fire, looted by gangs or diverted in chaotic circumstances rather than reaching those most in need, UN agencies, aid groups and analysts say. After images of malnourished children stoked an international outcry, aid has started to be delivered to the territory once more but on a scale deemed woefully insufficient by international organisations. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category CXO MBA Healthcare Digital Marketing Project Management Data Science others Operations Management Leadership Data Science Management Finance Design Thinking Data Analytics Product Management Cybersecurity Degree Technology Public Policy Artificial Intelligence PGDM MCA healthcare Others Skills you'll gain: Technology Strategy & Innovation Emerging Technologies & Digital Transformation Leadership in Technology Management Cybersecurity & Risk Management Duration: 24 Weeks Indian School of Business ISB Chief Technology Officer Starts on Jun 28, 2024 Get Details Skills you'll gain: Operations Strategy for Business Excellence Organizational Transformation Corporate Communication & Crisis Management Capstone Project Presentation Duration: 11 Months IIM Lucknow Chief Operations Officer Programme Starts on Jun 30, 2024 Get Details Skills you'll gain: Digital Strategy Development Expertise Emerging Technologies & Digital Trends Data-driven Decision Making Leadership in the Digital Age Duration: 40 Weeks Indian School of Business ISB Chief Digital Officer Starts on Jun 30, 2024 Get Details Skills you'll gain: Customer-Centricity & Brand Strategy Product Marketing, Distribution, & Analytics Digital Strategies & Innovation Skills Leadership Insights & AI Integration Expertise Duration: 10 Months IIM Kozhikode IIMK Chief Marketing and Growth Officer Starts on Apr 7, 2024 Get Details Every day, AFP correspondents on the ground see desperate crowds rushing towards food convoys or the sites of aid drops by Arab and European air forces. On Thursday, in Al-Zawayda in central Gaza, emaciated Palestinians rushed to pallets parachuted from a plane, jostling and tearing packages from each other in a cloud of dust. "Hunger has driven people to turn on each other. People are fighting each other with knives," Amir Zaqot, who came seeking aid, told AFP. Live Events To avoid disturbances, World Food Programme ( WFP ) drivers have been instructed to stop before their intended destination and let people help themselves. But to no avail. "A truck wheel almost crushed my head, and I was injured retrieving the bag," sighed a man, carrying a bag of flour on his head, in the Zikim area, in the northern Gaza Strip. Truly tragic Mohammad Abu Taha went at dawn to a distribution site near Rafah in the south to join the queue and reserve his spot. He said there were already "thousands waiting, all hungry, for a bag of flour or a little rice and lentils." "Suddenly, we heard gunshots..... There was no way to escape. People started running, pushing and shoving each other, children, women, the elderly," said the 42-year-old. "The scene was truly tragic: blood everywhere, wounded, dead." Nearly 1,400 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip while waiting for aid since May 27, the majority by the Israeli army, the United Nations said on Friday. The Israeli army denies any targeting, insisting it only fires "warning shots" when people approach too close to its positions. International organisations have for months condemned the restrictions imposed by the Israeli authorities on aid distribution in Gaza, including refusing to issue border crossing permits, slow customs clearance, limited access points, and imposing dangerous routes. On Tuesday, in Zikim, the Israeli army "changed loading plans for WFP, mixing cargo unexpectedly. The convoy was forced to leave early, without proper security," said a senior UN official who spoke on condition of anonymity. In the south of Gaza, at the Kerem Shalom border crossing, "there are two possible routes to reach our warehouses (in central Gaza)," said an NGO official, who also preferred to remain anonymous. "One is fairly safe, the other is regularly the scene of fighting and looting, and that's the one we're forced to take." Darwinian experiment Some of the aid is looted by gangs -- who often directly attack warehouses -- and diverted to traders who resell it at exorbitant prices, according to several humanitarian sources and experts. "It becomes this sort of Darwinian social experiment of the survival of the fittest," said Muhammad Shehada, visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR). "People who are the most starved in the world and do not have the energy must run and chase after a truck and wait for hours and hours in the sun and try to muscle people and compete for a bag of flour," he said. Jean Guy Vataux, emergency coordinator for Doctors Without Borders ( MSF ) in Gaza, added: "We're in an ultra-capitalist system, where traders and corrupt gangs send kids to risk life and limb at distribution points or during looting. It's become a new profession." This food is then resold to "those who can still afford it" in the markets of Gaza City, where the price of a 25-kilogramme bag of flour can exceed $400, he added. Never found proof Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of looting aid supplied by the UN, which has been delivering the bulk of aid since the start of the war triggered by the militant group's October 2023 attack. The Israeli authorities have used this accusation to justify the total blockade they imposed on Gaza between March and May, and the subsequent establishment of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a private organisation supported by Israel and the United States which has become the main aid distributor, sidelining UN agencies. However, for more than two million inhabitants of Gaza the GHF has just four distribution points, which the UN describes as a "death trap". "Hamas... has been stealing aid from the Gaza population many times by shooting Palestinians," said the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday. But according to senior Israeli military officials quoted by the New York Times on July 26, Israel "never found proof" that the group had "systematically stolen aid" from the UN. Weakened by the war with Israel which has seen most of its senior leadership killed, Hamas today is made up of "basically decentralised autonomous cells" said Shehada. He said while Hamas militants still hunker down in each Gaza neighbourhood in tunnels or destroyed buildings, they are not visible on the ground "because Israel has been systematically going after them". Aid workers told AFP that during the ceasefire that preceded the March blockade, the Gaza police -- which includes many Hamas members -- helped secure humanitarian convoys, but that the current power vacuum was fostering insecurity and looting. "UN agencies and humanitarian organisations have repeatedly called on Israeli authorities to facilitate and protect aid convoys and storage sites in our warehouses across the Gaza Strip," said Bushra Khalidi, policy lead at Oxfam . "These calls have largely been ignored," she added. All kinds of criminal activities The Israeli army is also accused of having equipped Palestinian criminal networks in its fight against Hamas and of allowing them to plunder aid. "The real theft of aid since the beginning of the war has been carried out by criminal gangs, under the watch of Israeli forces, and they were allowed to operate in proximity to the Kerem Shalom crossing point into Gaza," Jonathan Whittall, Palestinian territories chief of the UN humanitarian office (OCHA), told reporters in May. According to Israeli and Palestinian media reports, an armed group called the Popular Forces , made up of members of a Bedouin tribe led by Yasser Abu Shabab, is operating in the southern region under Israeli control. The ECFR describes Abu Shabab as leading a "criminal gang operating in the Rafah area that is widely accused of looting aid trucks". The Israeli authorities themselves acknowledged in June that they had armed Palestinian gangs opposed to Hamas, without directly naming the one led by Abu Shabab. Michael Milshtein, head of the Palestinian Studies Forum at the Moshe Dayan Center of Tel Aviv University , said many of the gang's members were implicated in "all kinds of criminal activities, drug smuggling, and things like that". "None of this can happen in Gaza without the approval, at least tacit, of the Israeli army," said a humanitarian worker in Gaza, asking not to be named. Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
The Hindu
28-07-2025
- The Hindu
Hyderabad nature group counts 37 African Boababs in the city
The African Boabab tree is under increasing abiotic stress across the world. A paper in 'Frontiers in Forests and Global Change' noted how: 'The heightened disturbance predicted from increased climate variability, hot droughts and landfalling tropical cyclones magnifies mortality risk for, 'Africa's favourite tree,'' This is true for some of the baobab trees even in Hyderabad. One of them found just off the PVNR Expressway has collapsed exposing the inner hollow trunk. While the tree has survived, the surrounding area is being encroached with building debris being dumped to block the pathway for worshippers from reaching the tree that is near the ancient Ananta Padmanabhaswamy temple. 'Loss of habitat is one form of climatic stress that is affecting the baobab trees in Africa. But in India, this is not a factor. The trees are mostly found in western ghats, peninsular India and central India where the rainfall is for a short duration,' says Sangram Chavhan, Senior Scientist at the National Institute of Abiotic Stress Management. However, a nature group from the city now says that they have a count of 37 boababs in and around Hyderabad. The number includes a group of seven trees in the Aramghar area with two of them inside the Jamia Islamia Darul Uloom and three inside the Zilla Parishad High School in Aramghar with one of them with a girth of approximately 45 feet. 'Baobabs have so much going for them that it's a pleasure to discover that Hyderabad is home to so many. The amazing bottle-shapes, massive size, myriad uses and stories about Baobabs made them exotic curiosities of the plant world. When I came to Hyderabad almost 40 years ago I heard about the legendary Hathiyan ka jhaad of Hyderabad which has stood for more than 4 centuries, whose huge girth and hollowed centre lends credibility to some entertaining historical facts,' says Kobita Das, a nature watcher and activist, referring to the change from one tree inside the Naya Qila area of the Golconda Fort to now. A number of mapping efforts have been made earlier in Hyderabad for the exotic and sometimes storied trees that landed in India due to pre-modern global trade. 'Equally fascinating is the genealogy of the trees and how they came to certain areas in India along with Arab traders at first, and later with slaves brought by colonisers like the Dutch, the Portugese and the British,' says Ms. Kobita Das. An earlier study had noted how the African Boabab inside the Naya Qila is the biggest outside Africa with the oldest part of the tree estimated at 484 ± 50 yrs using radio carbon dating. The tree's girth was measured at 25.48 metres or about 83.5 feet.
