Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi recently launched a new Emirati recruitment drive and leadership initiative that aims to place experienced educators to lead the emirate’s charter schools.
Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (Adek) has called on Emirati educators to apply for the Emirati Recruitment Initiative (ERI), designed to enable the long-term development of the charter school network. Successful applicants will be given specialised training and allowed to pursue job opportunities and pathways towards becoming charter school principals and vice principals.
Charter school model
Adek launched the publicly funded, privately operated charter schools model in 2018, and this academic year, the emirate boasts more than 30 charter schools. More than 46,500 students are enrolled at these institutions.
“Emirati cadres are a key pillar to the success of our education ecosystem, especially across charter schools where our Emirati students can access quality education opportunities while fostering their sense of national identity,” said Sara Musallam, Minister of State for Early Education, chairperson of the Federal Agency of Early Education (FAEE), and Adek chairperson.
“Enriching development pathways for Emirati educators helps guarantee a sustainable human capital talent pool capable of leading the future development of the education sector. We aim to increase the number of passionate and dedicated Emirati employees across Abu Dhabi’s charter schools as we believe Emirati school leaders are critical in delivering our mission of building global citizens who remain faithful to their national and cultural roots.”
Recruitment drive
ERI is dedicated to attracting school leaders, and follows three previous drives to recruit teachers, administrators, counsellors, social workers, and parent relations executives. The first three campaigns attracted over 300 UAE national participants, with the programme directly responsible for placing 145 Emirati education professionals across charter schools.
“This strategic development opportunity is open to all experienced Emirati educators. We invite them to become school leaders, and encourage applications to support students in realising their full potential. The initiative is a clear demonstration of our commitment to empower Emirati human capital in line with the recent expansion of our charter schools model, which now offers quality learning opportunities to over 46,500 students,” said Khulood Al Dhaheri, executive director of education partnerships at Adek.
Selection process
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a two-day assessment workshop, during which they will hear from expert panellists discussing the education sector, and also undergo a detailed orientation on Adek’s charter schools ecosystem. Candidates will then be grouped into teams to solve a case study challenge, before presenting their outcomes to a selection panel.
Successful candidates will be scored on their understanding of the case study challenge, their communication skills, applied research, quality of their proposed solution, the narrative and flow of their presentation, and their ability to respond to panel enquiries.
