The National Archives and Library launches an initiative "Cultural councils"

2026/07/22 1:24:04 PM

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ABU DHABI, July 22, 2017 (WAM) – The National Archives and the National Library launched the “Cultural Councils” initiative, which aims to promote cultural dialogue and introduce intellectual production, by hosting a dialogue session that discussed the book “The Historical Development of Women’s Education in the Emirates… Abu Dhabi as a Model” by researcher Maryam Sultan Al Mazrouei, a specialist in oral history at the National Archives and Library.

The session was moderated by Walid Ghailan, in the presence of Dr. Hamad Al-Mutairi, Acting Executive Director of the National Archives and Library, where it reviewed the most prominent themes of the book, which documents the pioneering role of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may God have mercy on him, in supporting women’s education and empowerment, based on his belief that education is a right for everyone, and that building the human being is the foundation of building the nation.

The session shed light on the reality of women’s education before the establishment of the federation, and the social and cultural challenges facing girls’ education, in addition to the influential role of Sheikha Salama bint Butti, may God have mercy on her, in consolidating Sheikh Zayed’s conviction of the importance of women’s education and empowerment.

It also discussed the efforts made by Sheikh Zayed to open school doors to girls and encourage families to enroll their daughters in education, which contributed to high school enrollment rates and the emergence of female competencies who contributed to the national development process, in addition to consolidating women’s right to education through constitutional and legislative frameworks, and expanding higher education and scholarships.

Maryam Sultan Al Mazrouei explained that the book traces the historical transformations in the status of women and their education in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, explaining that education gave women self-confidence and paved the way for them to be an essential partner in the development process alongside men.

She stressed that the UAE’s experience in women’s education represents a pioneering development model that embodies the forward-looking vision of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may God rest his soul, who made empowering women through education one of the most important pillars of the nation’s renaissance and the sustainability of its development path, while the attendees’ interventions contributed to enriching the dialogue and exchanging visions about the development of women’s education and its impact on national development.