Abu Dhabi: As education sector regulator, the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) is responsible for overseeing school performance, curricula and standards. And in order to cater to people of different backgrounds, the Adec has encouraged the development of schools that offer at least 15 curricula in the emirate.
The emirate’s 256 public schools follow the curriculum set by the UAE Ministry of Education. This has been enhanced by the Adec for pupils enrolled up to Grade 7 to include more interactive learning methods that foster creativity, innovation and creative thinking. Implemented in phases, this enhanced curriculum, titled the New School Model, is expected to be implemented for public school pupils of all grades by 2016.
In the case of private schools, the Adec only oversees educational standards and outcomes, as well as teaching and leadership quality. This is often done through inspection and monitoring visits. Schools are allowed to deliver the curriculum that they are licensed to offer, and use appropriate teaching methods.
However, education officials do urge that schools ensure a variety of extracurricular activities are offered to pupils.
Edward Murtaugh, manager of inspection and monitoring at the Adec, also noted at an education conference at the start of the 2014-2015 academic year that many schools still struggle to deliver curricula in a way that challenges pupils of all abilities, and stressed that this is a trait of schools that are judged to be high-performing.
