As an Emirati educator, I believe that school inspections are a basic part of improving and enhancing the education system in any developed country.
Public and private schools in Abu Dhabi and Dubai submit to the inspection process – but what about schools in Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah?
All schools need to be inspected regularly if they want to improve and enhance their performance.
The fundamental purposes of school inspection is improvement and to provide the education authorities with technical reports about the quality of teaching, whether students are learning and a variety of other aspects that parents and educational decision-makers want to know. I believe this information should be publicly available.
The best way to launch a UAE-wide inspection process is by inviting international inspectorates to train Emirati educators – such as principals, vice-principal and teachers etc – as trainee inspectors.
By being mentored by the international inspectors, they will have the chance to see the process of inspection and to learn about this sector of education.
Ahmed Mohammed Ghdayer Alderei, Abu Dhabi
No recycling my 2015 resolutions
With regard to Colin Randall's opinion article (Wouldn't it be best if we didn't make resolutions? December 28), New Year is traditionally a time where almost all of us make renewed resolutions to stick by throughout the year.
I say “renewed” resolutions instead of new because I usually like to give myself a second chance to fulfil what I had planned in the previous year but fell far short of accomplishing. For the past three years, I have vowed on every New Year’s Eve to give up on junk food and become a healthier person, only to wrap up a night out at a burger joint.
I also hope to find a suitable job and see myself settled every year, but these remain mere resolutions as I hardly get invited to job interviews. These resolutions are made and broken on the same day, just few hours apart and some are made before the fireworks and broken by the end of the spectacular display.
My resolutions have sadly been short-lived and this year my only resolve is not to have any commitments or promises made. I believe everything is destined and happens when the right time comes, regardless of our resolutions.
Fatima Suhail, Sharjah
A real signature investment
In relation to your article, Dubai property: is 2016 the year to invest Dh1m in the rental market? (December 26), there are many ways to make – and lose — money. It all depends on your attitude towards risk.
I own apartments in Dubai Marina, and the rental returns are excellent. I sold my homes in London to buy here. My advice is not to buy off -plan – I’m still waiting for one of mine to be built, six years later – and to wait until the development is built so you can see it first hand and sit in the lobby and ask the tenants how they feel about the place.
I would also avoid gold, stocks and shares, and any investment vehicle where they take commissions. I recommend seeking alternative investments. For example, I buy autographs – the Beatles, Neil Armstrong etc – and they have gone up sharply in value over the years. They are easy to sell and transport, and also are lovely to hold and admire.
Hold everything for 10 years or longer instead of trying to guess the market. World events can change everything at a moment’s notice.
Name withheld by request
Yoga festivals are a good primer
I read with interest your article about XYoga, Yoga festival to be held in Dubai (December 26).
I think this type of festival can encourage many people to learn yoga and adopt this discipline as a daily practice.
Many yoga festivals are arranged for free and the people who are interested in yoga but have no knowledge about the discipline can join in, share their thoughts with others, learn about others’ experience and decide whether this is a discipline they should pursue.
Hoque Nayeema, Dubai
Try real music on New Year’s Eve
Having read your article about New Year's Eve (Celebrate New Year's Eve EDM style with David Guetta, December 27), perhaps other places could book people who actually make their own music – they are widely known as musicians and are quite popular, I believe.
Jeff Coull, Dubai
Cry Macho
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Dwight Yoakam
Rating:**
RESULTS
Time; race; prize; distance
4pm: Maiden; (D) Dh150,000; 1,200m
Winner: General Line, Xavier Ziani (jockey), Omar Daraj (trainer)
4.35pm: Maiden (T); Dh150,000; 1,600m
Winner: Travis County, Adrie de Vries, Ismail Mohammed
5.10pm: Handicap (D); Dh175,000; 1,200m
Winner: Scrutineer, Tadhg O’Shea, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
5.45pm: Maiden (D); Dh150,000; 1,600m
Winner: Yulong Warrior, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
6.20pm: Maiden (D); Dh150,000; 1,600m
Winner: Ejaaby, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson
6.55pm: Handicap (D); Dh160,000; 1,600m
Winner: Storyboard, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
7.30pm: Handicap (D); Dh150,000; 2,200m
Winner: Grand Dauphin, Gerald Mosse, Ahmed Al Shemaili
8.05pm: Handicap (T); Dh190,000; 1,800m
Winner: Good Trip, Tadhg O’Shea, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
Mental%20health%20support%20in%20the%20UAE
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THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
The Way It Was: My Life with Frank Sinatra by Eliot Weisman and Jennifer Valoppi
Hachette Books
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Famous left-handers
- Marie Curie
- Jimi Hendrix
- Leonardo Di Vinci
- David Bowie
- Paul McCartney
- Albert Einstein
- Jack the Ripper
- Barack Obama
- Helen Keller
- Joan of Arc
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Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
Facebook | Our website | Instagram
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
RESULTS
Men
1 Marius Kipserem (KEN) 2:04:04
2 Abraham Kiptum (KEN) 2:04:16
3 Dejene Debela Gonfra (ETH) 2:07:06
4 Thomas Rono (KEN) 2:07:12
5 Stanley Biwott (KEN) 2:09:18
Women
1 Ababel Yeshaneh (ETH) 2:20:16
2 Eunice Chumba (BRN) 2:20:54
3 Gelete Burka (ETH) 2:24:07
4 Chaltu Tafa (ETH) 2:25:09
5 Caroline Kilel (KEN) 2:29:14
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