Abu Dhabi: A total of 300 new Emirati educators will begin teaching at Abu Dhabi emirate’s public schools at the start of the 2014-2015 academic year, the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) announced on Thursday.
In addition, 144 expatriate teachers have also been hired for teaching positions at these schools.
This academic year will also see the introduction of the New School Model (NSM), which prioritises critical thinking and creativity over rote learning, for Grade 7 pupils in public schools. The model is already used to teach all pupils enrolled up to Grade 6, and all others in public schools are expected to be taught under the NSM by 2016.
The newly recruited teachers were welcomed at a ceremony held in the capital on Thursday.
Dr Amal Al Qubaisi, Adec director-general, highlighted the nobility of the teaching profession at the ceremony, and said that teachers are the ones responsible for building a reliable future workforce. She added that this year will see 306 more Emirati teachers compared to the 2013-2014 academic year.
“During 2013-2014, we had 4,563 Emirati educators including principals, vice- principals and teachers. This year there are 4,869, which is an evident improvement,” Dr Amal said.
In order to attract more Emiratis towards teaching, the Adec also introduced a new salary structure last year (2013) that promised 35 per cent greater pay and benefits for Emirati teachers, leaders and administrative staff at public schools.
This year, there are 4,187 female Emirati teachers, and 682 males. Education officials have previously called for Emirati male educators to join the teaching profession, and this number has risen from just 617 during 2013-2014.
Dr Amal also stressed that teachers will be given ample opportunities to develop their skills and qualifications. According to an Adec statement sent on Thursday, about 12 per cent of the Adec’s annual budget has been allocated for offering professional development and training programmes for teacher.
