Dubai: Dubai Sports Council organized an introductory meeting for governmental & private schools to introduce the categories & standards of competition for the new edition of “Hamdan Bin Mohammed Order of Merit for Sports Education Schools”; the pioneering initiative which aims to support sport in governmental & private educational entities in the Emirate of Dubai and to encourage educational entities to popularize & boost the exercise of sport  as a main activity during the current academic year 2022 – 2023.

Part of the meeting was attended by H.E. Saeed Hareb, the Secretary General of Dubai Sports Council / H.E. Naser Aman Al-Rahma, the Assistant Secretary General of DSC / Dr. Mohammed Abdul Wahab Al-Ansari, Manager of the Office of the Strategy & Corporate Excellence and General Coordinator of the second edition of the Order of Merit / Mr. Younus Al-Rahma & Ms. Hala Hussain from the Emirates Schools Establishment / Ms. Shaima Al-Ahmdi & Ms. Maya Shaibani from the Knowledge & Human Development Authority in Dubai. The workshop was held in the presence of 80 participants comprising associates of governmental & private schools and nominees for participating & competing in the new edition of the Order of Merit.

The meeting explained the mechanism of nomination & evaluation which will be held via online platform. The evaluation process will be managed through specialized House of Experience. Registration door for submitting forms of nomination will remain open up to Jan. 2023, while final revision for all completed forms will finish in Feb. 2023.

In March 2023, site evaluation & visits will be conducted for the best 10 schools, which will be named to contest the final stage of competition to announce the two winning schools in conclusion of the evaluation process as ratified by DSC (one governmental school & one private school).

Categories & Standards of the Competition:

Participants in the competition of the new edition of the Order of Merit are classified into government schools category for the best governmental sports educational school (preliminary, Intermediate or secondary) / private school category for the best private sports educational school. Standards of the competition include the standard of school management which shows the management’s support & keenness to implement programs & initiatives of the physical, sports & healthy activities besides attracting of qualified administrative & technical staff. The second standard deals with the sports excellence according to which evaluation will be made for the activities, courses, championships, participations and results attained inside or outside the schools in local, regional, continental & international levels.  

The third standard deals with sustainable health which is related to the remarks of the programs, initiatives, workshops & awareness campaigns aiming to enhance the concepts of sport, health & prevention from the contemporary diseases such as diabetes & obesity besides implementation of intact nutrition style through school canteens. The fourth standard evaluates the specifications, quality & competence of the infrastructure of sports facilities such as swimming pools & indoor sports halls.  

The standards of the competitions are classified into different percentages as follows: 40% of the evaluation is allocated for the standard of the sports excellence including indicators of school performance regarding  physical education & extra-curricular sports activities / numbers of students representing school in sports teams / numbers of students who are registered in sports clubs, sports associations & national teams / diversity & appropriateness of activities available for students of different physical abilities & various categories / equality between both genders / involving in partnerships between schools & local community / time specified by school during school hours for the extra-curricular sports activities and the extent of its cooperation with the external academies of excellence, sports clubs and national & international federations.     

30% of the evaluation deals with the standard of sustainable health. This standard includes the culture of rejecting violence and intolerance inside and outside sports stadiums / the numbers and effectiveness of programs, initiatives, workshops and awareness campaigns held on sports, health, nutrition and student happiness / activities and events related to health education and disease prevention / introducing of creativity and innovation in the curriculum / variety of health programs / focusing on the importance of the role of the family in particular and society in general to support programs contributing in the success of the implementation / the availability of media coverage and the use of social media to reach all classes of society / the numbers of awareness events with the importance of physical education and a healthy lifestyle according to different age groups and gender.

20% of the evaluation is allocated for the standard of school management. This standard comprises   integrating of physical education classes as an integral part of the school experience / implementing the annual plan so that physical education is optimally exploited in terms of the cognitive content of the subject / the extent of support presented by the school leadership to implement sports and physical activities / the presence of evidence of measuring and occurring of progress regarding national standards related to sports, health and happiness / the level to which the school administration legislates and implements the best practices in the field of physical education, health and student happiness / implementation of creative & innovative initiatives aiming to develop sports in the school and the community / adherence to ideal exploiting of sports facilities in the school / presence of important development goals for the upcoming three years.

10% of the evaluation is allocated for infrastructure standard, including the use of technology and the quality of facilities and equipment for the practice of  sports / appropriateness of sports facilities for students of all groups and abilities / availability of additional spaces and facilities in the school that support the general orientation of the school towards a healthy and sports life / sources and resources of top quality aiming to boost students of all ages, abilities and genders / evidence of ongoing management and maintenance of sports facilities / availability of adequate dressing areas / well-managed security and safety criteria as part of the school's Physical Education Section.

The new edition of the event gives more focus to the sports performance results of talented students and it shows the schools’ abilities to sponsor these talented students & encourage their participation in academies & sports competitions, so that they will become competent enough to represent clubs & national teams in the future.     

The Order of Merit is allocated for sports educational schools; i.e. the schools which endeavor to improve & develop their sports abilities, through providing convenient environment to acquire & boost skills, and fulfill students’ needs toward the exercise of sport & physical activities via implementation of sports programs & methods.

Competitions to win the Order of Merit will be joined by all public & private schools in Dubai, which gain excellent or very good assessment according to the standards of evaluation of the Ministry of Education and the Knowledge & Human Development Authority in Dubai.