Equipping 1150 School Laboratories to Complete the Laboratory Activation Plan
The Ministry of Education has finished the provision of requirements and supplies of 1150 school laboratories, in accordance with the needs of each educational stage. This is in accomplishment of the laboratories operational plan set by the Ministry which aims at 100% activation at all stages for the current academic year.
Sharifa Mousa, Director of Education Resources & Solutions Department at the Ministry of Education, said that the Education Resources & Solutions Department had concluded the phase for determining laboratory needs during the summer which the Ministry has provided, noting that the Ministry formed field teams from the laboratories council which were responsible for determining the needs and requirements of school laboratories. She added that the Ministry has trained laboratory specialists to empower them with the desired educational objectives which it hopes to instil in the minds of students.
She stated that the Ministry had been contracted with international companies for the purpose of providing the necessary laboratory materials while the Ministry determined its need for laboratory specialists, and created a specialized training program to qualify and prepare them to work in the educational field, in accordance with the requirements of the science curriculums developed by the Ministry.
She added that the laboratory operational plan aims at developing higher thinking skills for students, supports the outcome of the Emirati school curricula and strengthens the 21st century skills of our students through conducting practical experiments inside the laboratories, noting that the preparation of the operational plan required close cooperation between the various Ministry departments with a view to creating a unique and effective model that guarantees the achievement of the desired benefits behind this plan.
She mentioned that, according to the laboratory operational plan, 30% of the mentioned subjects will be applied inside the laboratories in accordance with the best practises in modern education which will keep abreast of the latest developments in the education sector, thus, contributing to the improvement of the quality of educational products in the country while adhering to its educational system.
She stated that the modern laboratory operational plan will include all stages of education to cover the science curriculum of elementary and mid school students, while including physics, chemistry and biology for high school students.
She added “This is a result of the Ministry’s keenness to support the educational journey in this country with unique educational practices and experiments that will enhance the students’ knowledge, providing them with live skills through school laboratories, which will ultimately improve their academic results.
The Ministry announced, toward the end of the previous academic year, a modern operational plan for scientific laboratories which it aims to activate in all schools that are 100% under its umbrella, in conforming to the Ministry’s plans to enhance the role of school laboratories within the educational environment of Emirati schools. It will provide students with practical knowledge, information and skills in physics, chemistry, biology and general science so that both theoretical and practical aspects are integrated into their minds.
The laboratory activation plan complements the assessment and examination policy that was announced lately by the Ministry of Education, whereby the Ministry had categorized subjects into two groups ‘A’ and ‘B’. The students will conduct the examinations relating to group B subjects through practical work in laboratories and education resources, and the implementation of practical projects.
27/09/2017