Ministry of Education and its leaders attend a seminar on “positive education”
The Ministry of Education aims to achieve the concepts of happiness and positivity in all elements and among students at its schools, educational zones, and employees to accomplish the Emirati School outputs, since happiness has a great impact on students’ academic achievements. This is to be attained through identifying a new model based on well-being and happiness backed by a series of active initiatives and programs centred on this context.
In this context, the Ministry of Education, represented by the Happiness Committee, organized a seminar entitled "Positive Education" in the brainstorming hall at the Ministry’s premises in Dubai. The seminar was delivered by Mexican scientist, Alejandro Adler from the Positive Psychology Centre at the University of Pennsylvania, a specialist in well-being, education and public policy.
Present at the seminar were H.E Hussain Bin Ibrahim Al Hammadi, Minister of Education, H.E Jameela Al Muhairi, Minister of State for Public Education, H.E Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of State for Higher Education, in addition to Ministry leaders and a number of officials and employees.
During the seminar, scientist Alejandro Adler presented some new international models which had achieved remarkable success, which are crucial for the provision of well-being at schools, and the impact this well-being has on academic attainment. He cited the opinions of international leaders and experts known for their valuable ideas who emphasized the importance of education and its association with the development of people.
He identified several factors that play a key role in achieving well-being, which in essence means happiness and positivity, that must be maintained, including; commitment to work; realizing the positive work we perform; positive relationships with families, friends and partners; reliance on others; solidarity; respect and love.
He also pointed out the presence of many factors that can measure well-being, including permanence, optimism and communication, noting that 50% of well-being is genetic, in the sense that the source is the environment itself,. On the other hand, 50% of well-being comes from other resources, with 10% constituting external circumstances related to jobs and life in general, and 40% related to our work and thoughts. These are controllable elements like emotions and behaviour.
He explained that well-being can be measured with clear indicators to build upon, stressing that positive education represents acquired skills to achieve well-being and happiness, and that well-being can be taught as a genetic value.
The speaker indicated that there is a gap between well-being and academic performance, noting that some countries use comprehensive national happiness as a model to achieve their aspirations for development and advancement of education.
He added that studies conducted by prominent research centres, and the results obtained, confirm that well-being contributes to better academic achievements. This comes through commitment, whereby learners love and are more committed towards learning, secondly permanence, since students who continued the program have more flexibility and emotion, and finally communication, where students maintain better relationships with teachers, away from authoritarianism and punishment. The role of the teacher here is to facilitate the process of learning. Through this element, the student, when facing any difficulties, will resort to the teacher as a result of his confidence in him.
The international speaker stated that the UAE possesses a strong foundation, and has the potential to become a regional and international hub, and a leader on a regional scale in the field of happiness and positivity due to its interest in this matter on a national level and the launching of effective and impactful initiatives in this regard.
07/12/2016