179 scholarship students have been awarded degrees from universities in 11 countries in different continents at the expense of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, in the 2012 - 2013 period. The Ministry said that five of the students received Doctorate Degrees, four received Fellowship Certificates while three were Board Certified and one received the Alfakh Arts certificate. 121 of the awardees achieved Bachelor's Degrees and 45 were awarded a Master's Degree. On behalf of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, the ministry reiterated the need to take all means necessary to achieve the vision of leadership in higher education and scientific research and achieve the graduation of qualified staff to be globally competitive through a distinct learning environment. It also confirmed the goal of achieving its strategic objectives in providing opportunities for national students to acquire admission to the best universities in the world through the foreign missions programmes, and providing for outstanding students to meet the needs of the labour market in the context of a comprehensive sustainable development, fulfilling Vision 2021.