UAE's Best Teacher, School Principal Honoured At Government Excellence Awards

A teacher and a school principal in Dubai were among the winners honoured at the Mohammed bin Rashid Government Excellence Award on Thursday, November 5.

Iman Mohammed Al Khouri received the Prime Minister's Medal for Best Teacher, while Maimouna Hashem Al Muaini, principal of Zayed Educational Complex in Dubai, won the medal for Best School Principal.

Four new categories were introduced this year, recognising AI applications, proactivity and future readiness, chief AI officers and chief future-readiness officers.

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The Federal Authority for Government Human Resources won for AI applications, while Abdullah Ghuloom Al Bastaki of the Federal Tax Authority received the medal for Best Chief AI Officer. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was recognised for proactivity and future readiness.

The Ministry of Education also received recognition, sharing the award for most improved ministry with the Ministry of Community Empowerment.

The 2026 edition honoured federal entities, projects, government leaders and employees for their contributions to improving performance, adopting innovative solutions and strengthening readiness for the future.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, awarded the Mohammed bin Rashid Sash to Sheikh Surour bin Mohammed Al Nahyan for his exceptional service to the country and contributions to its development.

The ministries of Interior, Finance and Foreign Affairs were recognised as leading federal entities in sustained excellence.

The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation won the leading federal entity award for ministries with more than 500 employees. The Ministry of Economy and Tourism received the honour for ministries with fewer than 500 employees.

Special recognition also went to 'Hayat', the Ministry of Health and Prevention's organ and tissue donation and transplantation programme, and 'Make it in the Emirates', led by the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology.

The assessment process covered 30 federal entities. A total of 57 leaders and 236 government employees were nominated for Prime Minister's Medals, with more than 130 Emirati and international experts and assessors participating.

Held every two years, the award is overseen by the Sheikh Khalifa Government Excellence Programme.

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