The Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Medical and Educational Sciences have announced the winners of the 4th Hamdan-ICESCO Prize for Voluntary Development of Educational Facilities in the Islamic World. The prize honors outstanding voluntary initiatives that support and develop educational environments in countries of the Islamic world.

The Hamdan-ICESCO Prize aims to achieve several strategic objectives, including encouraging and rewarding voluntary initiatives in education, promoting sustainable development efforts to create new and lasting educational environments, and supporting educational infrastructure in the Muslim world. These efforts contribute to improving education quality and ensuring equal access to educational opportunities.

Announced in December 2023, the fourth edition of the prize attracted applications from both organizations and individuals across various Islamic countries. This year, nine educational initiatives from seven countries participated, reflecting the growing interest in voluntary action within the education sector.

Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of ICESCO, commended the prize’s role in fostering voluntary action in education and highlighted the importance of developing educational facilities as a cornerstone for societal advancement.

“Ensuring sustainable and inclusive education requires continuous support for voluntary efforts and philanthropic initiatives, which is the essence of this prize, organized in partnership with Hamdan Foundation. This edition’s winning projects reflect a real commitment to achieving positive change in beneficiary communities and provide pioneering models that can inspire further initiatives in the future. ICESCO remains committed to strengthening this initiative by collaborating with organizations that support education, contributing to the overall advancement of the sector,” Dr. AlMalik stated.

H.E. Humaid Mohammed Al Qatami, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Medical and Educational Sciences, emphasized that the prize reflects the foundation’s vision of fostering an advanced educational environment that supports sustainable development in Islamic countries.

“Investment in education is key to the future of societies. This prize honors and recognizes voluntary efforts that contribute to improving the educational environment. This edition’s winners have provided exceptional examples of projects with real impact, helping to build modern and sustainable learning environments and opening new horizons for students in beneficiary communities. We are proud of our partnership with ICESCO and look forward to supporting more inspiring projects that enhance the quality of education in the Muslim world,” H.E. Al Qatami added.

The Prize Jury selected three outstanding institutions for their pioneering projects in developing educational facilities:
• Hadramawt Foundation – Human Development (Yemen): Awarded for its “Pilot High Schools” project (Models), which aims to establish and develop modern pilot high schools in Hadramawt Governorate, enhancing the region’s education quality.
• Heydar Aliyev Foundation (Azerbaijan): Recognized for its “Educational and Social Support Project,” which focuses on building and rehabilitating schools in multiple countries, both within and beyond the Islamic world.
• Moroccan Foundation for Primary Education (Morocco): Honored for its initiative to equip primary education departments in rural, semi-rural, and urban areas across the Kingdom, ensuring an integrated learning environment for children in remote regions.

This edition of the prize reinforces its commitment to encouraging voluntary initiatives that improve educational environments by recognizing innovative solutions to infrastructure challenges in the education sector. The strong participation numbers further establish the Hamdan-ICESCO Prize as one of the leading programs supporting voluntary action in education and contributing to the sustainable development of the sector across the Islamic world.

The winners will be honored at an upcoming official award ceremony, where each will receive the prize shield and a financial award to support their projects and benefit their target communities.