Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance, today opened the first BMI Gulf Scholarship Summit, BGSS, which will continue until tomorrow at the Park Rotana Hotel.

The two-day summit has seen the attendance of 300 participants, as well as representatives of education institutions, 70 of which are from outside the country, 100 from inside, representatives from 23 universities, as well as representatives of the ministries of education, health and training organisations in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain and Iraq.

During the opening speech, Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan stressed the UAE's interest in educational partnerships in building national capacities in the field of education, and enhancing lifelong learning to help the country compete in the global economy.

He also emphasised the state's focus on students, and said that President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, The Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, have given attention to the development of education and the advancement of youth, and therefore the UAE has become a country of progress, prosperity and stability.

Sheikh Nahyan added that the UAE is a country that supports creativity and innovation and is committed to building a knowledge society, which drives economic success and supports positive change, pointing to the state's interest in skilled and educated manpower.

The BMI Gulf Scholarship Summit is a high-level event that connects educational institutions from the UAE and across the world with the heads of the largest and most important Scholarship programmes in the UAE and GCC. The Scholarship organisations are attending the BGSS to find new educational partners with whom they can sign agreements to receive students via their scholarship programme.