Abu Dhabi
The standardisation of the UAE’s education system will align the curriculum, assessments and examinations of all public and private schools following the Ministry of Education curriculum, a senior education official said yesterday.
“This monumental collaboration between the ministry and the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) will ensure provision of best education for students,” said Abdul Rahman Al Hammadi, undersecretary at the Ministry of Education.
“The two authorities have formed a joint committee to outline a standardisation for the education system. This, in turn, has [allowed for] the establishment of plans covering all basic courses and an agreement on fundamental details. Preparations to ensure a smooth beginning of the 2017-18 academic year, and the ministry’s tasks and responsibilities have also been set up,” he added.
The standardisation of education was announced on Sunday. The Emirati School Model is the result of three years of discussion. As reported by Gulf News, the 2017-18 academic year, which is set to begin on September 10, has been designated as a transitional year ahead of the actual unification in 2018-19.
According to details revealed yesterday by officials, the Ministry of Education will monitor all schools in the emirate to ensure that they comply with laws, regulations and policies. The Adec will be periodically informed of the results of the supervision at all stages of the education process.
Assessment
Meanwhile, assessing the performance of public and private schools will remain the responsibility of the Adec, and the ministry will be briefed on these assessment results from time to time.
The authorities have also formed a committee to review smart sand electronic solutions, including for the management of students’ data, while also considering optimal solutions for standardisation of these systems. The ministry will also provide textbooks for all grade levels to all students following the ministry’s curriculum.
Meanwhile, meetings and workshops have been held to review plans and reach an agreement on the functions and powers of the Ministry of Education and the Adec, said Dr Yousuf Al Sheryani, adviser to Adec director general Dr Ali Al Nuaimi.
“Despite the standardisation, Science and Math will still be taught in English as is the norm in Abu Dhabi’s public education system. We will also consider adding an extra class for the courses currently accredited by the federal system,” Dr Al Sheryani said. However, further details on the extra class and its importance were not immediately available.
“Students will have the freedom to choose their majors and classes at the university level, and during the 2017-18 academic year, Grade 12 students will be exempt from following the federal education system in specialised courses. Students in Grade 11 and below will begin following the Emirati School model from the beginning of the 2017-8 academic year [starting September 10],” he added.
This year, Academic Quality Improvement Officers will be trained in the UAE, and a standardised Professional Development Week will be held at the beginning of every academic year.
Teachers in Abu Dhabi will also be informed of any changes to the curriculum under the unified system, and they will have access to all existing educational resources.
The recent unification of the two authorities follows a spate of initiatives to standardise the education system in the country, including the introduction of a unified inspection system for private schools in 2015, and the 2016 unification of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research with the Ministry of Education.
Main points of the Emirati School model
English will be taught as a language from kindergarten through to Grade 10.
Adec will prepare an English language curriculum for kindergarten to Grade 12, and provide any relevant textbooks.
Adec will also implement the curriculum for English, Math and Science from kindergarten till Grade 5. The Adec curriculum currently teaches these subjects in the English language, unlike the Ministry of Education curriculum.
Students in Grades 6 to 11 will follow the ministry’s curriculum.
Adec will implement its Technology, Design and Innovation curriculum, and provide all relevant textbooks to students in Grades 1, 2, 3 and 12.
Arabic Language, Islamic Studies and Social Studies will be taught to students from kindergarten till Grade 12, and examinations and assessments for these subjects will be standardised for all students across each grade level, including during the 2017-2018 year.
The ministry will ensure that the curriculum is available in the electronic library before the beginning of the academic year.
The teacher training model will be standardised to ensure maximum efficiency.
The ministry will monitor all schools to ensure that they comply with laws, regulations and policies, and the Adec will be periodically informed of the results for schools in Abu Dhabi Emirate.
Assessing the performance of both public and private schools in Abu Dhabi will remain the responsibility of the Adec, and the ministry will be briefed on these assessment results.
