Be’ati Watani Goes Online Boosting Environmental Education for UAE Students

Posted on December, 01 2011


Emirates Wildlife Society in association with WWF joins Dolphin Energy to further enhance popular environmental education programme, Be’ati Watani (My Environment, My Country). Formerly known as the Interactive Enviro-Spellathon, and now in its 8th year, Be’ati Watani, goes online and will expand to include new course content aiming to reach beyond the borders of the UAE for the first time.

To-date over a million students in the UAE have benefitted from the programme, initially started as a paperback in 2002. With new sponsorship by Dolphin Energy over the next three years, Be’ati Watani, a comprehensive online environmental resource for 6-14 year olds, will look to reach out and educate more students on the importance of environmental conservation through an eight level journey.

At each stage, students join popular characters Hamad and Ayesha, learning about different environmental challenges, from wildlife protection issues, to tackling global climate change. In the most recent level on climate change, Hamad learns of the role a small nation like the UAE can play in this huge global problem and how it is responding to the challenge. He also realises the actions that individuals may take to make a difference.

Commenting on the partnership and programs online roll out, Ahmed Al Sayegh, CEO, Dolphin Energy stated, “Be’ati Watani was developed to engage and motivate students to learn about the environment around them, and subsequently make informed decisions so they become environmentally responsible citizens. Environmental education is important to us at Dolphin Energy, and we hope to be a central part of helping schools provide students, in the UAE and the region, with the necessary tools to enable them to build a sustainable future.”

Mr Ibrahim Al Ansaari, General Manager, Dolphin Energy, UAE added: “We are delighted to partnership with EWS-WWF once again. This new collaboration will help drive awareness of the need for environmental conservation and give students a stake in ensuring and protecting our natural heritage in the years ahead.”

EWS-WWF anticipates increasing participation from schools because of formal endorsement of the programme by the Ministry of Education, and its Education Zones, as well as the support extended by programme partners Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi, Dubai Municipality, Fujairah Municipality and others in the emirates. “The Be’ati Watani programme has evolved over the past eight years to incorporate modern tools in order to connect better with the current online generation.

In the UAE, the programme has been widely successful and we are working with our partners to further roll this initiative out across in the region in the coming two to three years, starting with Qatar,” said Ida Tillisch, Acting Director General, EWS-WWF.

Tillisch added, “At its inception in 2002, Be’ati Watani, was distributed via booklets packed with information for students. It has since transitioned with modern technology, from booklets to a CD format, to become interactive and fully online. We have also expanded the modules covered from four to eight, giving a more in- depth view of the growing environmental issues we face, to engage a wider range of students. In a further effort to get students involved in meaningful two way environmental discussions a blog has also been incorporated in the student portal.”

All aspects of the programme, including registration, testing, grading and obtaining certificates are online, although CDs will still be made available if need be. To learn more about Be’ati Watani please visit: www.beatiwatani.com
Enthusiastic youngsters at the Be’ati Watani launch familiarise themselves with the online course.
© Tiffany Schultz