The Board of Trustees of the Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government (MBRSG), a research and educational institution specialized in public policy in the Arab world. Today reviewed the results of an online brainstorming campaign launched by the School, to identify innovative ideas and suggestions to further develop programs and curricula in preparing future government leaders.

Mohamed Bin Rashid School of Government launched the online brainstorming campaign titled ‘The School under the Future Government’, on the social media platforms. The campaign targeted government departments and organizations, training institutes, influential leaders from across the region, and Arab society in general. Reinforcing the significant role of MBRSG in shaping the governments of the future, the campaign aimed to understand the requirements of key stakeholders from such programs.

The board meeting reviewed the top 10 ideas that emerged from the online campaign and examined the key results of the campaign. While majority responses were received from countries in the GCC region, a significant number originated from non-Arab countries such as the USA and Canada. The campaign hashtag overall registered more than 31 million impressions, 3,000 tweets, and 138 new ideas and proposals.

His Excellency, Humaid Al Qatami, Director General of the Dubai Health Authority and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of MBRSG, said: “The social media brainstorming campaign was launched by MBRSG to actively involve the community and citizens in the preparation of leadership programs and curricula that comply with the new performance evaluation requirements of the government departments, while meeting social development needs of the country.”

He added: “Dubai has established a prominent position on the international map of smart governments. MBRSG is keen to play a contributory role in furthering cementing Dubai’s smart credentials. Increasingly, we find local and regional government departments are engaged in a healthy spirit of competition to keep pace with global smart developments in delivering best-in-class services to the public. The college adds value to these departments through our efforts in research and scientific development and in shaping up-to-date leadership and public administration programs.”

He complimented MBRSG’s newly elected board of trustees for its support in ensuring that the college continued to host renowned experts and thought leaders from around the world.

For his part, Dr Rifaat Faouri, President of Yarmouk University in Jordan, praised the developments made in the public administration space in the UAE. He said: “Globally we are witnessing a paradigm shift towards intellectual capital and human resources investments as they represent the true wealth of any nation. Intellectual capital is essentially developed in academic and research institutions. No country can expect to evolve and progress without the holistic development and progress of its education system.”

His Excellency Dr Ali bin Sibaa Al Marri, Executive President of Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government, said: “Higher education institutions such as MBRSG can play an increasing role in supporting governments to achieve excellence. We aim to strengthen collaborations with government departments in line with our strategic objectives. The UAE government has established global benchmarks in government administration and leads other institutions in the country by example.”

He added: “We hope to leverage the findings of the online brainstorming campaign to develop programs that will enrich the human resource pool in the UAE and across the wider region in the important public administration domain.”

The Board of Trustees agreed to continue its engagement with the community, government and private sector institutions in developing leadership programs. Social media platforms serve as a fertile ground for suggestions and perceptions. In addition, they strengthen the relationship between the community and the college and help MBRSG in its efforts to support Dubai in shaping a knowledge economy.

The Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government is committed to promoting good governance through enhancing the region’s capacity for effective public policy. The school uses a four-pronged approach, which includes applied research in public policy and management, academic programs in public policy and administration, executive education programs, and knowledge forums for scholars and policy makers.