The AKA Award commenced in 2011 with the first recipient being Ms. Noor Marraghi and the 2020 award being given to Fatima Muneer. To date approximately BD 250,000 has been spent on a full University Scholarship for over eleven ARKIS graduates. This totals up the BD 28,000 per candidate over their respective three- or four-year programme. The rigorous application for ARKIS students involves not only academic prowess but following the Pillars and Foundation set by the schools Founding Father, the late Mr. Abdul Rahman Jasim Kanoo:
“I have devoted my effort, thoughts and wealth to this school. It is my dream to have a school that provides the country with a generation that is conscientious, open-minded and educated. It is my sincerest hope that they grow into committed citizens of their country and are capable of contributing to and maintaining the interest of this country as well as to confront the challenges of the future.”
The AKA scholarship was enabled in honour of the late, Abdul Rahman Jasim Kanoo, to encourage and facilitate the further education of our top graduates at Abdul Rahman Kanoo International School (ARKIS). As a pioneer within education, he saw the importance of continuing one’s education beyond the level of High School within Bahrain. However, some students and their families did not have the means to accomplish this important task, and as a result, the Board created an Award to serve this purpose- the pursuit of a higher education without the concerns of the financial burden. The AKA scholarship is the best available scholarship from a Private or International school for students in Bahrain. It gives ARKIS students the chance to pursue their chosen course of study, in their University of choice, and then bring back their skills and knowledge to contribute to Bahrain society. Now ARKIS have over eleven young graduates who have benefited from this programme and all of which are active within Bahraini society. This annual award will continue and will be adopted within the second school premises Abdulrahman Kanoo School (ARKS)- www.arks.edu.bh, in Al Diyar, opening in 2022.
The 2021 winner of the prestigious AKA Scholarship winner went to Mr. Redha Aqeel Ahmed, who will study Accounting & Finance at the University of Exeter. “It is an incredible privilege and honor to be appointed as the recipient of this award amongst such worthy applicants who, in their own ways, have contributed to this award. This scholarship not only acts as a source of financial support, but it also is a betoken of how hard work does pay off, especially when one is surrounded by an incredible support system. My time at Abdul Rahman Kanoo International School was, is, and will continue to be an unparalleled experience that shaped me into the man I am today. This school has truly become my second home, and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for me and all my fellow graduates. I know that because of our experiences at ARKIS, we will all go far in life.
Speaking on behalf of the Board of Trustees, Mr. Faisal Khalid Kanoo PhD © stated, “Grounded, charismatic and captivating candidate, Redha displayed all the accolades and core values that we wish our graduates to display. He harnessed challenging situations within his previous school environments and changed them to learning experiences that built up his confidence. In a nurtured environment, he thrived and is able to reflect and apply his phenomenological experiences to help him have insight. The scholarship will offer him the ability to support his vision of studying aboard- as did the late Founder, giving him an international insight which will further develop him as a person and citizen of Bahrain. Upon graduation this new experience will support his desire to support the Kingdom, with a vision of doing this by working at EDB. On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I would like to congratulate Redha on this achievement- wishing him all the success as our eleventh AKA scholarship candidate”.
On behalf of the school, Ms. Kate Moskwa- School Principal notes, “Redha has been an active IB and CAS student during his time at ARKIS. His participation, and lead, in many of the extracurricular activities whilst sustaining great grades makes him an outstanding candidate for the AKA Scholarship. The rigorous requirements and series of interviews, led the BOT panel to unanimously vote for him to receive the award. As the eleventh candidate for the AKA, he gets the chance to pursue his chosen course of study and University, and then bring back the skills and knowledge to contribute to Bahrain society. We are incredibly proud of him, and all our graduating students this year.”
End Notes:
Abdul Rahman bin Jasim Kanoo was born in the city of Manama in 1932. He was first enrolled in the Western Elementary School in Manama, then the Secondary School for Boys. He travelled to study in Cairo and was enrolled in the Mohamed Ali School in the Sayida Zainab area, then Khedeyweya Secondary School. After joining secondary school, he enrolled in the American University of Beirut- studying Business. Abdul Rahman Kanoo is one of the seven original founding members of the Yusuf bin Ahmed Kanoo Group (YBA Kanoo). He had a social spirit that is benevolent and a heart that expands the love of all people. He had a prominent role in supporting and developing the social and charitable orientation of this commercial group that gained a prominent position in its society. He was one of the Kingdoms commercial figures who worked to encourage the establishment of many charitable societies and committees in Bahrain. He was the Chairman of Al-Ahli Club for more than twenty years (1979-2000) and is one of the largest sports clubs in Bahrain.
He built and financed, at his own personal expense, the Abdul Rahman Kanoo International School in 1997 in Zinj. The school was then moved in 2005 to the Salmabad Area with a modern fully equipped campus- one of the first private schools in Bahrain. In 1999, His Highness Prince Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa- Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain, appointed him as a member of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports. In 1992 he was awarded the State Prize for National Action. He died in 2007 and his legacy continues in the formation of the Abdul Rahman Kanoo Group in which the school is one of many philanthropic activities.
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