Dubai KHDA to unveil teacher well-being strategy to attract and keep world-class educators

Dubai: Dubai is developing a dedicated well-being strategy for its educators, the emirate's education regulator has announced, in a development that comes as educators globally mark World Teachers' Day today, October 5.

The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) is working on the strategy as part of a wider push to make Dubai a magnet for the best teachers, Aisha Miran, director-general of KHDA, said at the Media Majlis last week.

Though the event was not linked to World Teachers' Day, the move to develop an ‘educator well-being strategy’ matters in a city where more than 27,000 teachers work in private schools, educating more than 400,000 students.

Keeping the best teachers

Miran said the authority wants Dubai to be the place that draws top talent, and that the plan will look at the full journey of an educator, from recruitment and attraction through to retention.

"We are working on our educator well-being strategy, and that is an important aspect for us. We want to be the place that attracts the best talent and the best teachers," she said.

Three areas are central to that. These are continuing professional development (CPD), recognition and exposure, and work-life balance.

KHDA is still developing the strategies. Miran said she hopes further details can be shared by next year.

Tackling mid-semester exits

Responding to questions, she also addressed the problem of teachers leaving in the middle of a semester.

When that happens, she explained, students are left without a teacher to support them, and a substitute may not be a specialist in the subject.

KHDA has worked on the issue as a policy and is collecting data on it, she revealed.

Wider education roadmap

The educator strategy sits within Dubai's Education 33 (E33) Strategy, which sets out where the emirate wants its education ecosystem to be by 2033.

Miran said the strategy aims to reach learners at every level, from nursery to higher education, and to support parents as well.

Since the launch of E33 two years ago, KHDA has introduced more than 20 transformative initiatives and 28 policies and frameworks. Teacher well-being has been identified as a key priority, alongside learner-centred education, inclusion, future skills, digital transformation and AI.

Among the results so far, Miran said, more than 5,000 parents have benefited from workshops on the strategy and on managing crises.

Supporting schools

The authority is also working with teachers at schools rated acceptable to barely good to lift their performance, Miran said.

Now in its third year, the programme has worked with 10 schools and 16,000 students, 13,000 of them Emiratis.

She said inspectors and regulators are being positioned as a supporting body for schools, and that a different team of inspectors was assigned to the programme.

"Dubai's Education 33 Strategy is the compass that guides our work and sets out where we want Dubai's education ecosystem to be by 2033. Two years since its adoption, we have made important progress, but our ambition extends further. We want its impact to reach every student, family, teacher and educational institution in Dubai,” she added.

KHDA has also launched an AI-powered service called ‘Girnas Educational Advisor’ designed to assist families in navigating Dubai’s private education system with automated insights regarding school fees, performance, curricula, and admissions.

The service offers one-on-one consultations with dedicated education advisors, who will guide parents in selecting a school that aligns with their requirements.