アラブ首長国連邦(UAE)のアブダビ日本人学校においては、2024年5月1日現在、小中学校で28名、併設の幼稚園で8名のUAE国民子弟が日本人子弟と一緒に仲良く元気に学んでいます。
これは約19年前に、当時から国民の教育に熱心なUAEのムハンマド大統領のイニシアチブの下で、日本、フランス、ドイツ、中国の現地校にUAE国民子弟を受け入れてもらいたいという要請がアブダビ政府から各大使館に寄せられたことを契機とするものです。アブダビ日本人学校は、大使館をはじめとした関係機関との協議を重ねた結果、幼稚園の段階からの受入れを決定し、2006年9月に初めて2名のUAE国民子弟が幼稚園に入園しました。
本NPO法人は、この日本人学校及び併設の幼稚園で学ぶUAE国民子弟の教育支援に当たる教育専門家を日本から派遣することを主目的として、アブダビに進出している本邦企業を中心として2007年に設立されました。現在は、小中学校で8名、幼稚園で3名の教育専門家の方々にご活躍頂いております。
2018年4月以降、アブダビ日本人学校を卒業したUAE国民子弟の多くは日本の高校に進学し、現在5名が在学しています。そして、高校を卒業した生徒のほとんどが日本の大学に進学し、現在5名が在学中です。
また、日本の高校や大学への進学を視野に入れて、日本の教育現場、生活環境、伝統文化等に関する本人と保護者の理解を深めるための招聘プログラムを、日本政府の肝いりで2014年6月より実施しております。
このようにアブダビにおいてUAE国民子弟と日本人子弟との共学が定着して参りましたことは、本NPO会員の皆様、日本国政府、アブダビ教育・知識庁(ADEK)、日本人学校運営理事会、日本人学校・NPOの教職員各位のご尽力、ご支援の賜物でございます。
我が国とUAEとは、石油、天然ガスの開発及び貿易に止まらず、近年のUAEの著しい発展に伴い、産業協力、技術交流、教育、文化など多方面にわたり重層的な関係が築かれてきており、またそれらが進化しつつあります。UAE国民子弟が日本人学校で学ぶことも、そのような大きな流れに沿うことであり、この事業は将来の両国の懸け橋として活躍する人材を育てる重要な意義を有しております。本NPO法人活動に対する皆様方の一層のご理解、ご協力、ご支援のほど、よろしくお願いいたします。

At the Abu Dhabi Japanese School in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as of May 1, 2024, 28 students from elementary and junior high schools and 8 students from the UAE national kindergarten are studying together with their Japanese counterparts.
This was prompted by a request from the Abu Dhabi government to the embassies of Japan, France, Germany, and China to accept UAE national children in their local schools under the initiative of UAE President Mohammed, who has been enthusiastic about the education of the people of Abu Dhabi since about 19 years ago. After extensive discussions with the embassies and other related organizations, the Abu Dhabi Japanese School decided to accept the children from the kindergarten stage, and the first two children entered the kindergarten in September 2006.
This NPO was established in 2007, mainly by Japanese companies operating in Abu Dhabi, for the main purpose of dispatching educational specialists from Japan to provide educational guidance to the children of UAE nationals studying at the Japanese school and the kindergarten attached to it. Since then, we have dispatched the necessary number of education specialists to local kindergartens and elementary schools, and currently 8 specialists are working at elementary and junior high schools and 3 specialists are working at kindergartens.
Since April 2018, most of UAE national children who graduated from the Abu Dhabi Japanese School have gone on to high school in Japan, with five currently studying at Japanese high schools. And in April 2023, high school graduates go on to Japanese universities, and five are currently studying at Japanese universities.
In addition, with a view to studying in Japan, an invitation program has been implemented since June 2014 at the behest of the Japanese government to deepen the understanding of the students and their parents regarding educational settings, living environment, traditional culture, etc. in Japan.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the members of this NPO, the Government of Japan, the Abu Dhabi Education and Knowledge Authority (ADEK), the Governing Board of the Japanese School, and the faculty members of the Japanese School and NPO for their efforts and support in making the co-education of UAE nationals and Japanese children a reality in Abu Dhabi.
The UAE and Japan have been building and evolving a multilayered relationship in many areas, including industrial cooperation, technological exchange, education, and culture, in line with the UAE's remarkable development in recent years, not limited to oil and natural gas development and trade. The UAE children studying in Japanese schools is in line with this trend, and this project has an important significance in nurturing human resources who will serve as bridges between the two countries in the future. We would appreciate your further understanding, cooperation, and support for the activities of this non-profit organization.