Licensing policy for teachers will be beneficial

A reader expresses support for the new teacher licensing plan. Other topics: the underprivileged, Barack Obama, child protection

A reader expresses support for the new teacher licensing scheme. Fatima Al Marzooqi / The National

I agree with the views of Eoin Bolger, the manager of the teacher-recruiting firm Teach and Explore (UAE-wide teacher licensing scheme to begin in 2017, minister says, May 2).

This measure is clearly targeting hundreds of untrained teachers in the public school system. By untrained, I mean they have not studied a course on childhood development, learning and pedagogy, lesson planning and delivery, assessment and classroom management.

Typically, these are usually embedded in a year of teaching practice in the classroom under the scrutiny of a teacher-trainer and peers from which they will receive critique and feedback on their teaching.

Finland has set the standard for this training.

Name withheld by request

Society needs to be inclusive

Projects and initiatives focusing on the underprivileged and the middle class are what this country badly needs (Free summer camps initiative for underprivileged children taking off in Dubai, April 12). The UAE has become synonymous with the rich and famous.

I have been here for close to a decade, and I have seen very few big entertainment events that make these sections of society feel comfortable. Such “exclusions” never help a society progress. Rather, it’s the opposite.

I appreciate the efforts of the Boost volunteer programme.

Heather Stewart, Dubai

How Obama undid his legacy

The legacy of the Iraq war (and Guantanamo Bay) was certainly something that Barack Obama sought to immediately distance himself from (Obama's complex foreign policy legacy unpicked, May 15).

And there was a sound logic in seeking for the USA to stop being associated with meddling in Middle Eastern countries’ affairs and thereby giving a stick to extremists to beat America with and present themselves as “defenders of Muslim culture against foreigners”. And the other side of that coin was encouraging Middle Eastern countries to step in and take control of their own, and their area’s, affairs, defence, and destinies, rather than America being always expected to lead the action (and get the blame).

Where the negative effect of Mr Obama’s dogmatic belief crept in to negate these positive aims was in the unnecessary fixed timescale withdrawal of American forces from Iraq and Afghanistan in order to bolster his patronising “I’ve been there, done that” image with the American domestic audience.

The result was the unready Iraqi forces being swiftly overrun by a ragtag ISIL operation that would have stood no chance against American forces had they remained for longer as was clearly needed.

This, in turn, led to the emboldened ISIL rampage in Syria, funded with loot acquired from the hapless Iraqis and the subsequent exporting of terrorism and millions of refugees to other countries, especially in the EU.

Mr Obama’s dogmatic egotism undid his legacy.

Name withheld by request

Protecting lives must be priority

Why is the child safety seat a subject of debate (Child safety seats should be required by law, May 16)? If society values its young and wants to protect lives, then it should be very straightforward: pass and enforce laws requiring use of child safety seats and seat belts. There is no shortage of studies that clearly point to how these things protect lives.

The issue of dark tinted windows is related. Permitting overly tinted windows that reduce visibility, especially at night, is sending the message that protecting personal privacy is more important than ensuring the collective safety of others who share the same road.

Jim Buckingham, Dubai

Not only should it be compulsory, but it should be required to be installed in vehicles taking new mothers home from hospital. Hospitals should withhold discharge otherwise, as is the case in many other countries.

Suzanne Arruda-Wessel, Dubai