UAE | Education
Aggressive plan to increase university enrolment
Abu Dhabi Only three per cent of Emiratis and expatriates enrolling in federal universities fulfil the required score of 185 on their Common Educational Proficiency Assessment (Cepa) exam, which has forced the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) to implement an aggressive plan to try to increase that number to 45 per cent by 2014.
- By Dina El Shammaa, Staff Reporter
- Published: 14:42 June 29, 2009
- Image Credit: Gulf News
- School children on their way home after classes in Abu Dhabi.
Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi Only three per cent of Emiratis and expatriates enrolling in federal universities fulfil the required score of 185 on their Common Educational Proficiency Assessment (Cepa) exam, which has forced the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) to implement an aggressive plan to try to increase that number to 45 per cent by 2014.
Without having to bridge a foundation programme to help prepare Emirati students to continue their higher studies in a federal university (such as Higher Colleges of Technology, UAE University and Zayed University), more than 97 per cent of Emiratis will not be able to continue their higher education; out of which 30 per cent do not even make it to the foundation programme, which results in spending from two to three years of their lives on basic education.
Less than five per cent of expatriate students usually enrol in federal universities, the majority are Emirati students.
"Our children spend up to two to three years of their lives on basic education with as much as 30 per cent of the higher education budget going out on the foundation programme alone, therefore there is an evident problem," said Dr Mugheer Al Khaili, Director General of Adec, during a press conference outlining the Adec's 10-year strategy plan.
The 30 per cent budget should be spent on scientific research or on professors instead, the director general added. "The UAE cannot reach its objective of being considered among the top five governments unless the education authorities identify current and future challenges, as well as develop a short- and long-term action plan," said Dr Al Khaili.
One of the biggest challenges facing the Adec is to include 70,000 pupils in the new system and curriculum. "We have started to do something about this by sending 8,000 pupils to a five-week summer challenge course this year, where they will be involved in new teaching and learning methods," said Dr Al Khaili.
Another challenge, he stressed, was increasing the teaching hours.
"We teach from 4 to 5 hours a day, whereas the normal international teaching hours are from 7 to 8 hours a day. Our academic year is also less than that of rest of the world, which creates undisciplined pupils, especially boys."
Measuring pupils' abilities should also be done through application and hands-on experience, not memorising, he emphasised, adding that an immediate change needs to be introduced in certain schools.
Emiratisation plays a major role in the Abu Dhabi government's 2030 plan. "Our aim is to achieve six per cent local employment to serve the major industries in the UAE, including oil and gas, energy and petrochemicals, space, tourism, healthcare, education and media."
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