Abu Dhabi: National tests for English for higher education and employment will replace Test of English as a Foreign Language or TOEFL, the International English Language Testing System or IELTS and other checkpoint assessments, Hussain Ebrahim Al Hammadi, Minister of Education, told the Federal National Council yesterday (Tuesday).
“Starting next year, some 5,000 fifth, sixth and seventh, ninth and twelfth graders will sit for the national tests designed to provide comprehensive feedback on their strengths and weaknesses in the key curriculum areas English, mathematics and science, “ Al Hammadi said.
He added that from 2016, the national testing system will be applied to all students across the UAE.
The tests will be taken at the end of the academic year to provide schools, universities and authorities with a national benchmark for learner performance.
Each student will receive a statement of achievement and a diagnostic feedback report, giving schools and universities invaluable information and parents extra trust in the feedback they receive.
Al Hammadi was answering a question by Ali Eisa Al Nuaimi, a member from Ajman, on enhancing the skills of students on a par with their peers in developed countries.
Al Nuaimi argued that students were blackmailed by educational institutions conducting Toefl and IELTS and English language courses.
Al Hammadi said teacher accreditation will also contribute to developing teachers in terms of efficiency, competency and adding advantage to the career itself, aligning education outcomes with present and future requirements of the different sectors of the economy.
