Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) has launched the second phase of the Student Support Programme, which aims to prepare Emirati Grade 12 students to pass college placement tests in English, Arabic, and Mathematics by taking part in various extra-curricular activities and benefiting from experiences across public universities in the UAE.
The programme, which aims to eliminate students’ need for the foundation year at higher education institutions, is part of Adec’s effort to collaborate with various higher education institutes to reach out to all public schools in Abu Dhabi, Ai Ain and the Western Region.
After the great success of the first phase, the programme has been extended to all Grade 12 students across Abu Dhabi using the latest educational methods.
The first phase took place in December 2016 targeting outstanding students who achieved 80 per cent and above in Grade 11, and included three weekly hours of English lessons for 12 weeks after which students receive a certificate to be qualified to enter UAE University (UAEU) without the need for a placement exam even as it helps students pass Mathematics and English exams in other universities.
Phase two is scheduled to begin on Sunday and will include all Emirati students across public schools, and is expected to last for 12 weeks. Students in both stages of the programme have to take a placement test in core subjects (English, Arabic and Mathematics) at the beginning and at the end of each stage in order to identify strengths and weaknesses of students and means of improvement.
The programme, which is under the direct supervision of Adec, will be delivered in selected public schools in Abu Dhabi as well as in UAEU. Transportation will be provided (female supervisors to accompany girls). Students from Abu Dhabi will be placed based on their residential areas, and Al Ain students will receive their lessons on a UAEU campus.
The programme, which is delivered by UAEU faculty, adopts advanced and innovative technology that depends on attractive pedagogy rather than the conventional learning approaches. This would help provide students with a fun-loving learning experience through activities and hands-on expertise that aim to promote individual learning, encourage critical thinking, and improve academic, creative, social and professional skills.
