The Abu Dhabi Civil Defence Authority, in collaboration with Alef Education, has launched the second phase of the Bader Educational Awareness Project (2025–2029), following the success of the first phase (2021–2024), which significantly contributed to enhancing safety and prevention culture among thousands of students across schools in the emirate.
The new phase of the project focuses on expanding its scope to include all public and private schools benefiting from Alef, with a total of 548 schools, 173 in Abu Dhabi and 375 across the other emirates. The initiative aims to reach 180,000 students in Abu Dhabi and 300,000 students nationwide, in addition to training 6,000 teachers in Abu Dhabi and 13,000 across the UAE, as well as administrators and school safety officers. This expansion strengthens sustainable preventive awareness within the educational environment.
The Authority explained that Bader is the first initiative of its kind worldwide, providing an integrated awareness curriculum that covers all educational stages, from kindergarten to grade 12. The curriculum embeds safety and prevention concepts progressively and sequentially, with interactive bilingual content addressing key topics such as evacuation and alarms, first aid, fires, hazardous chemicals, and individual social responsibility. New lessons will be added annually, reaching a total of 13 lessons per educational stage by 2029. The project represents a pioneering national model for embedding a safety culture through education, reflecting a commitment to supporting national efforts to build a conscious and capable generation that can protect themselves and their communities, while reinforcing sustainable community development.
During the first phase, 357 out of 372 schools nationwide participated, benefiting nearly 59,000 students. More than 36,000 of them completed the program in full, representing 96 per cent of the targeted schools. The impact assessment study showed positive results, including a 10.9 per cent improvement in students’ emergency preparedness, a 9.3 per cent increase in their self-confidence when handling emergencies, an 11.2 per cent boost in their sense of safety and readiness, and an 11.7% rise in their willingness to spread awareness among their peers.
The Abu Dhabi Civil Defence Authority (ADCDA) has also achieved a series of distinguished accomplishments through this innovative educational awareness project. It received the Khalifa Award for Education in 2023 for the project, followed by the Hamdan bin Rashid Award for Institutions Supporting Education in 2024. In the same year, it also won the Dubai Quality Group – Ideas UAE Award for Best Joint Idea, in recognition of its pioneering role in promoting a safety culture through advanced interactive methods.
The Authority emphasised that students graduating from grade 12 after completing the program will be equipped with essential life skills to respond correctly in emergencies, fully aware of safety and prevention concepts, and capable of spreading awareness within their families and communities.
