Structuring the School Operations Sector to comply with the Unified Education System
H.E Hussain Al Hammadi, Minister of Education, announced during an introductory meeting, held the day before yesterday, at the Fatima College of Health Sciences, attended by leaders from the Ministry and a large number of Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra school principals, that the Ministry is moving to generalize the teacher license system starting from 2018. This is partly in preparation of actual application on all those employed within the educational arena by the end of 2020. To this extent, His Excellency stated that the Ministry intends to structure the school operations sector to comply with the unified education system as instructed by H.E Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE.
The meeting addressed several important aspects, such as the student behavior management, the new assessment and examination policy, the methods and mechanisms of adherence with the unified education system, and to work in ensuring success of all efforts exerted to develop cadres of the educational field and other related topics.
His Excellency confirmed that the teacher license system will be launched at the beginning of 2018 and that teachers will not be allowed to practice the profession of teaching without a license by 2021. The system will be based on two examinations; an exam relating to the specialization and another one related to teaching methods. The system will include training programs to provide the necessary support for those teachers who need to enhance certain skills.
His Excellency clarified that in relation to structuring the school operations sector, we will have six educational councils, with six zones under each council. Each zone shall include three complexes, and each complex shall comprise of 6 schools. The position of Senior Director for each school complex shall be created to improve leadership efficiency of school heads.
His Excellency stated that structuring the school operations sectors was a necessity to provide precise information about the progress of the educational process, a desire to provide more flexibility in the communication process between the educational and Ministry cadres which will positively reflect the education environment in the UAE, and its work progress to comply with the educational system with all its cadres and components. The decision to structure school operations is also aimed at achieving the vision of Emirati schools in terms of specifications, inputs, operations, outputs and characters of Emirati school’s graduates, to achieve the optimal investment of financial resources, transfer of academic and knowledge experiences between the councils and ministry, to focus on the school and quality of its operations, in particular the academic one, and to ensure responsiveness toward the needs of schools for effective implementation of their operations.
His Excellency emphasized that our students constitute our capital and we want to empower them for the job market by providing them with high quality skills. This requires close cooperation from the educational cadres for the success of the Ministry of Education’s vision to empower our students for future job markets, through appropriate skills and knowledge, guaranteeing their capability of competitiveness and leadership. His Excellency added that Emirati schooling is a system concerned with all its educational components and stages. The Ministry pays special attention to the kindergarten stage and seeks to develop the same.
Dr. Fawzia Badri, Advisor to the Minister of Education presented, during the meeting, the student behavior management regulation launched by the Ministry at the beginning of the current school year, clarifying that this is aimed at instilling genuine values in the minds of students. It complements the different laws and regulations applicable in UAE and takes into account the needs of all students, including those with aspirations. It is centered on strengthening positive and notable behavior in students, and identifies the traits of collective community responsibility between the school and parents.
During her speech, she revealed the Ministry’s work on the preparation of a special behavior regulation for kindergartens and students of first to third grades as part of the Ministry’s interest in all stages of education in the country, for the purpose of refining student personalities and instilling positive notions in their minds from childhood, to complete the entire educational effort in all stages of education.
From his side, Dr. Rasheed Al Hammadi, Director of the Department of Middle School Curriculum, revealed the formation of an academic support and improvement of a performance committee, which will ensure the application of the current educational curriculum in an appropriate manner that achieves the desired purposes, and explores student skills and knowledge in all fields. He noted that the committee will be multifunctional and will work on bridging and addressing the gaps in all aspects of the educational process in cooperation with the educational field.
Ahmad Al Dar’ei, Deputy Director of Assessment & Examination Department, confirmed that the new assessment and examination policy which the Ministry started applying at the beginning of the current school year is in line with the Ministry’s approach in implanting modern, innovative-based education pillars. He added that “subjects under the new assessment policy have been categorized 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 implementation of practical projects, while for subjects under Group A, students will undergo the usual examinations.
02/10/2017