The country’s leaders have issued inspirational messages welcoming pupils and staff back to school as classes resume across the country Sunday. Describing the new academic year as “full of hope and ambition,” Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed said “our students, who are the UAE's present and future, have our trust and support. “Our students' knowledge and perseverance ensure the UAE's continued growth and development. I wish you all best of luck this year and beyond.” To the more than 1 million schoolchildren who are expected to return to class, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces offered this advice: “Acquire knowledge, turn reading into a habit and always strive for excellence and make it your motto in life.” The Ministry of Education said it operates 642 schools across the country – 384 in Dubai and the Northern Emirates and 258 in Abu Dhabi. These schools are ready to welcome back 22,282 teachers, including 11,163 in Dubai and the Northern Emirates and 11,119 in Abu Dhabi. “Teachers are a national treasure,” said Sheikh Mohammed. “They carry a noble message. We are proud of their pivotal role in building minds and refining spirits.” The education of children is a community effort, he noted. “We are entrusted with our children, whether as families, schools or society as a whole,” said Sheikh Mohammed. “We need to work together to make their lives better.” The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi called the unified public school curriculum, the Emirati School Model, as an “integral part of our strategy for the future.” “With the beginning of the school year, a new national educational vision begins,” said Sheikh Mohammed. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union, Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation and President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, also congratulated pupils and their guardians on the start of the new school year, calling on pupils to draw inspiration from the late UAE Founding Father Sheikh Zayed as they embark on a new academic journey. _______________ <strong>Back to school:</strong> _______________ Sheikha Fatima also praised the merger of the national public school curriculum and welcomed the decision made by the Ministry of Education and the Abu Dhabi Education Council, calling it "an extraordinary beginning” for the new academic year. Sheikha Fatima said the continued evaluation and development of education systems in UAE schools is characterised by high levels of achievement and progress that are consistent with the wise leadership's firm belief that the nation's youth are the most important investment, and have the right to innovative education systems that match with the UAE's future ambitions. In her concluding remarks, Sheikha Fatima called on teachers and educators to be role models for their students, and to make every effort to keep pace with new approaches and reforms taken to ensure the development of the nation's educational systems that seek to benefit children and young people. "Teachers have a great responsibility to educate and influence our youth,” said Sheikha Fatima. “Educators’ efforts to expand and encourage our youth's education and help develop their moral and altruistic behaviours are always appreciated."