Abu Dhabi: As the UAE moves towards becoming a knowledge-based economy, the Ministry of Education has started to implement latest methods and techniques of teaching mathematics in a way that will attract more students to specialise in this field.
Under the patronage of Humaid Mohammad Al Qatami, UAE Minister of Education, about 16 schools in the northern emirates have begun to implement and expand new trends and development in the field of mathematical science.
Organised by the Abu Dhabi University, over 150 international faculty members and mathematicians from all around the world met during the first day of the five-day International Conference on Mathematical Sciences and Applications (ICMSA) to discuss new techniques and innovations.
“Because mathematical sciences are becoming of great importance, enhancing students’ mathematical knowledge is part of the many strategies the Ministry of Education is using in schools across the UAE,” said Ali Mehad Al Suwaidi, acting undersecretary of the Ministry of Education.
“The Ministry has organised workshops to train teachers on the latest methods of teaching mathematics and how to implement these techniques in a way that will attract students to the subject,” Al Suwaidi added.
Commenting on the importance of the conference, Al Suwaidi also explained that the Ministry of Education follows well laid plans to encourage students to specialise in one of the scientific disciplines.
Three parts
“The plan consists of three parts, first of which is ensuring that higher education institutions provide professors and teachers with the training they need to communicate with students.
The second part of the plan is for the Ministry to provide each and school across the UAE with a professionally qualified academic advisor, who will work with students and provide them the guidance they need to pick a specialty that fits their talents.
The third part of the plan involves encouraging organisations and companies from both the public and private sector to coordinate with schools and organise visits or lectures, which introduce students to the labour market requirements of careers that need a scientific background.”
The five-day conference hosted professors and researchers from more than 35 universities from all around the world.
“The conference not only focuses on researches in the field of applied mathematics, but also highlights researches on the applications of math in other natural and humanitarian sciences such as medicine, public health and industry applications, economics, environmental sciences, biology, physics and many others,” Dr Radwan Al Jarrah, dean of the college of arts and sciences at Abu Dhabi University, told Gulf News.
About 125 research papers, based on topics, will be presented throughout the 5-day conference from around the world to boost interest in the field of mathematics.
