Schools may be closed and students may be learning from home, but that’s not preventing GEMS Al Barsha National School for Boys from finding opportunities for students to sow their true leadership qualities

There is opportunity to be found in every challenge, and it is common knowledge that adversity often brings out the best in people, driving them to rise to the occasion, think outside the box and shine. Well, that’s exactly what has been happening at one Dubai school – GEMS Al Barsha National School for Boys (NSB) – where the challenges of the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak have given rise to new opportunities for students to show their leadership qualities and share them with their peers, their communities and beyond.

“All our students are leaders” is a phrase that crops up time and again on NSB’s social media pages. Almost on a daily basis, an NSB student steps into the limelight to share his insights, views and advice. Indeed, the school is actively encouraging its students to share their thoughts on a range of topics – and it’s clear that students are stepping up to the mark.

For Earth Day on 22 April, for example, one of the school’s “Eco leaders” Mohammad Makki in Year 7A posted an inspiring message to his peers and the NSB community about the importance of looking after the Earth. In a video showing him planting a sapling, he poignantly says, “The Earth does not belong to us. We belong to the Earth.” Another Eco leader, Mohammed Albastaki in Year 4A took the initiative to record a video reminding his schoolfriends about the importance of recycling plastic, while Humaid Aljasmi in Year 4B took the time to encourage his friends to protect the planet.

Other subjects addressed by the school’s young leaders include Expo 2020. The event may have been postponed due to the global pandemic, but that didn’t stop Ahmed Sayegh in Year 6b from providing his peers with an update on plans for the big event. “It will be the world coming together, celebrating unity, celebrating humanity, celebrating collaboration, celebrating togetherness,” he says in an uplifting video addressed to the NSB family. “We will overcome all difficulties, we will connect minds, we will create a future as promised and we will win.”

So, no matter what the current challenges, it’s good to know that schools continue to provide every opportunity for students to learn, progress and develop their leadership skills.