Latest news with #LeeDabagia
Gulf Today
15-06-2025
- General
- Gulf Today
Educators, school programmes honoured at ADEK Awards
Aiming to empower school communities to continuously raise the bar for quality education across the emirate - the second edition of the ADEK Awards concluded with winners announced across public, private, and charter schools, recognising outstanding contributions of educators and school programmes within Abu Dhabi's dynamic education ecosystem. Building on the success of the inaugural edition, this year's awards included 16 categories, with new areas highlighting efforts in AI integration, anti-bullying initiatives, school collaboration with Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK), and expanded recognition for early education institutions. More than 500 submissions were evaluated by subject matter experts, who identified impactful initiatives and meaningful efforts that went above and beyond in creating nurturing learning environments where students can truly thrive. The Awards also recognised 17 schools for demonstrating significant improvement in student progress and attainment across Standardised Benchmark Assessments (SBA), in English, Math, and Science. The ADEK Awards are more than a recognition, it is a call to action and a reminder to nurture innovation and celebrate collaboration, empowering schools to champion best practices that will shape lifelong learners who contribute meaningfully to society and are future-ready. The ADEK Awards aim to inspire a culture of continuous improvement where winning schools will also have the opportunity to share their best practices, enabling others to learn, grow and elevate the collective impact of education across Abu Dhabi. 6 Individual Award Winners: Individual Awards Principal of the Year Award Lee Dabagia from Summit International Schools Outstanding Teacher Award: Early Years and Primary Teacher Award Rehab ElShafey from Al Amal Kindergarten Secondary Teacher Award: Wafa Alshamsi from Al Jahili School Arabic Literacy & Culture Teacher Award: Lolwah Mansoor from Al Fateh School Students of Determination Teacher Award: Mahmoud Mohamed from Al Hosn School Unsung Hero Award: Sameera Mohammed from Khalifa City School 10 Programme Award Winners received cash prizes that are dedicated to improving the winning schools' initiatives. Programme Awards Best Parental Engagement Award: The British International School Abu Dhabi Best Student Wellbeing Programme: Al Rayaheen Charter School Best Professional Development Programme (Leaders): Al Riyadh Charter School Best Professional Development Programme (Teachers): American International School - Abu Dhabi Best Inclusive Practice Award: Al Dhafra Private Academy Best Reading Programme Award: Al Nahda National School for Girls Best Arabic Programme Award: Sheikh Zayed Private Academy for Girls Best Anti-Bullying Programme Award Al Huiteen School: Best AI Programme: ADNOC Schools - Sas Al Nakhl Best ADEK Engagement Award: Madar International School. The Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge is the education sector regulator across the emirate. It oversees and provides services throughout a learner's journey from early education to university and beyond. It also champions inclusivity for People of Determination in the mainstream schooling system and by providing specialised schools. Across early childhood and K-12, ADEK licences and regulates nurseries and private schools in Abu Dhabi while also legislating, mandating, and managing its own Charter Schools and 2 schools for People of Determination. ADEK also annually provides distinguished Abu Dhabi students with full scholarships and support to study at the best universities around the world. In addition, the Department audits and enhances the delivery of higher education in Abu Dhabi, attracting higher education institutions to open the required programs or schools that serve Abu Dhabi's needs while championing a student and faculty-friendly ecosystem in the emirate.
Khaleej Times
11-06-2025
- General
- Khaleej Times
UAE: Award-winning principal urges parents to boost reading habits among children
After winning the Best Principal Award at the ADEK Awards 2025, Lee Dabagia of Summit International School in Abu Dhabi, actively called for parental involvement in reading and AI responsibility among students. An overwhelmed Dabagia, who is a seasoned educator from Indiana, USA, attributed his win to the unwavering dedication of his teaching team. Speaking to Khaleej Times on the sidelines of the event, Dabagia said, 'My advice to parents is limit their screen time at home, make sure there is a library of something to read at home. We surveyed our parents and realised there's not enough reading materia l in their houses... give them a book. It's simple, but true,' urging families to steer their children away from excessive screen time. Dabagia, who moved to the UAE 12 years ago and brings over 30 years of experience in education and administration, expressed deep concern about the impact of AI and social media on student learning. He noted that the examination season is increasingly complex due to students' ability to access AI tools even within 'lockout browsers.' 'We are trying to teach our students respect, responsible use of AI... I'm hoping that as we use that model, use it for something more productive and practical, our students will kind of dovetail with that and understand, that this is a tool that can make my life easier, but it's also a tool that I need to respect,' he explained. Disruptive role of social media Beyond AI, Dabagia emphasised the disruptive role of social media in education and student well-being. 'Trying to balance our students to authentic learning... Accessing curriculum and putting the social media aside for a time is a big challenge for us,' he said. 'Students are in the privacy of their rooms, but they don't understand how dangerous it can be... so we have spent a lot of time teaching them about that responsibility.' The annual awards event, organised by the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK), celebrated outstanding contributions across the emirate's education sector. This year, over 33 educators, schools, and initiatives were honoured across 30 categories, with more than Dh7 million awarded in prize money. 'There are basically multiple award categories. Some are individual, and then there is a program award categories and standardised benchmarks... We received more than 500 submissions altogether,' said Mariam Hallami, Executive Director of Nurseries and spokesperson for Early Education Initiatives. Expanded categories Notably, this year featured expanded categories, including artificial intelligence, anti-bullying, inclusivity, and student well-being. 'What was different this year is the expanded, new categories... schools did more programs and initiatives to kind of try win this award,' Hallami added. 'So, the award is not just for an outcome, but it encourages schools to adopt new programs and expand their impact.' Among the notable winners were Al Huiteen School in Liwa, which earned the Best Anti-Bullying Programme Award. 'As part of our anti-bullying initiative, we've implemented a school-wide programme that focuses on instilling core values in students. By strengthening relationships between peers, students, and teachers, we've fostered a sense of accountability and mutual respect. This has played a crucial role in the success of our anti-bullying efforts and ultimately helped us earn this award today, ' said Liaili Abu Rumman, a social worker and instructor at the school. Meanwhile, The British International School Abu Dhabi secured the Best Parental Engagement Award, winning Dh100,000. 'We've got a really clear ethos... a genuine home away from home for our community,' said Aine McGlue, Head of Secondary. 'We have run parent events such as (different) tools around the city to help parents connect. We have parent heads meetings regularly, which is where they get to come in and meet with the senior leadership team, and we explore initiatives together. Many ideas are generated from the parent community. So for example, if Internet safety or certain aspects of wellbeing are on the parent community's mind, that will drive our agenda. We then action plan together. We come up with 'you said and we did approach' where they know that their (parents) decisions and input is actually driving forward improvements across. This prize money... will go straight back into the community to look at how we can develop and grow our current offer.'
