Mohammed bin Rashid School Of Government Welcomes Kazakhstan Students

 Dubai’s lead in sustainability, renewable energy and Smart City engineering was the focus of a group of students from the Republic of Kazakhstan during their recent field trip to the UAE. The 19 Master of Regional Development students from the country’s Academy of Public Administration were guests of the Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government (MBRSG) during their week-long stay, with MBRSG laying on a number of excursions and site trips throughout their visit.

“We were delighted and honoured to be able to host the group of students from Kazakhstan and to facilitate their stay with presentations on their area of study, which is concerned with development. It was a privilege to arrange site visits to show them Dubai’s functioning practical elements in the areas of sustainability, renewable energy and Smart City engineering. We are very proud of what Dubai and the UAE has achieved in this sphere and are aware of our responsibility to share the knowledge we have with other countries who are striving towards the same goals,” said Professor Martin Spraggon, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at MBRSG.

The first day of the students’ itinerary involved a meet-and-greet session at the Embassy of Kazakhstan, with day two seeing the students welcomed to MBRSG’s office, where they received a presentation on Smart Government from Fadi Salem, Director of Research, MBRSG. Included on the morning of the third day was a visit to Shams Dubai, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA)’s smart initiative to connect solar energy to buildings, and a visit to Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest single-site solar park in the world based on the Independent Power Producer model. The afternoon of the third day was given over to a trip to The Sustainable City, where they received a tour and presentation.

Day four of the itinerary saw the students listen to a talk from Dubai Police titled ‘Artificial Intelligence and Smart Systems’ and day five, the final day of scheduled activities, saw them visit the newly opened Dubai Frame in the morning and participate in a round table discussion on comparative issues in the afternoon. Following a weekend of free time to enjoy the city’s popular tourist spots and to round off their field trip, the students flew home to Kazakhstan.