The UAE has announced a shake-up at the Ministry of Education with new ministers chosen and a brief to re-evaluate how young people are taught.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, said the goal of the changes is to ensure graduates are well prepared for the workplaces of the future.
"The education sector today is not the same as yesterday ... and our ambitions today are not like yesterday," Sheikh Mohammed said on Twitter.
He set out structural changes across the education system, with increased focus on improving state schools and early childhood development.
Ahmed Al Falasi, currently Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and SMEs, becomes Minister of Education, overseeing public and private schools and universities nationwide.
Sarah Al Amiri, an engineer who has led the UAE's space agency during historic missions, including sending a probe to Mars and an astronaut to the International Space Station, will oversee public education and how young people are taught about technology. Ms Al Amiri is currently Minister of State for Advanced Sciences.
Sheikh Mohammed confirmed the appointment of Ms Al Amiri as Minister of State for Public Education and Future Technology and Chair of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Schools Establishment.
"My leaders and role models, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, thank you for the trust you have placed in me by appointing me as Minister of State for Public Education and Future Technology and Chair of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Schools Establishment," Ms Al Amiri wrote on Twitter.
She has been directed to develop an integrated and comprehensive plan to upgrade public schools.
Sheikh Mohammed wrote: "After consultation with my brother, President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, we announce today a major structural change in the UAE’s education sector.
"We appointed Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi as the Minister of Education. We directed him to review all legislations and policies related to the education system in our country."
Hussein Al Hammadi, the previous Minister of Education, and Jameela Al Muhairi, Minister of State for Public Education, were thanked for their service by Sheikh Mohammed.
In a tweet, Mr Al Falasi added: "It was an honour to work with you in the team of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. All thanks and appreciation to you and we ask God for success for all of us."
New focus on birth to Year 4
Sheikh Mohammed also announced the newly established Federal Authority for Early Education, affiliated with the Cabinet.
"We also announce the appointment of Sara Musallam as the Minister of State for Early Education, and to supervise the newly established Federal Authority for Early Education.
"Sara will be responsible for developing comprehensive plans to follow up the child development from birth to the fourth grade.
"The correct development of our children is the guarantee of our education’s success."
"We also announce the restructuring of the Education and Human Resources Council, headed by Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, so that the council will supervise the project for the future of education in the country in line with our ambitions, consolidate our national identity, and ensure educational outcomes that meet our future development, economic and social needs," Sheikh Mohammed said.
Roles and responsibilities
The Federal Authority for Quality and Standards of Education
A new specialised authority to be affiliated with the UAE Cabinet. It will be mainly responsible for measuring the outcomes, student performance, and the efficiency of the educational process.
The authority will be responsible for measuring the quality of education; auditing educational outputs; early childhood education; kindergarten; public education; and higher education, in addition to submitting reports on the results and proposals to develop policies, strategies, legislation and curricula.
The Federal Authority for Early Childhood Education
The new structure created a federal authority specialised in early childhood education, to develop and introduce comprehensive plans to follow up the child development from birth to the fourth grade. Affiliated with the UAE Cabinet, the authority will be responsible for developing policies, strategies, legislations and programmes related to the education needs of the early childhood stage.
The authority will be responsible for setting regulations and standards, and issuing licenses and monitoring government and private nurseries, in co-ordination with local authorities. It will also work with parents to enhance their role in the early childhood stage.
Developing the Ministry of Education
According to the new structure, the responsibilities of the Ministry of Education will include developing policies, strategies and legislation related to public and higher education.
The ministry’s functions include managing and developing the general education framework; curricula and tools for government public education schools; developing curricula for compulsory educational materials for private schools; setting standards and regulations; and issuing licenses and monitoring private schools in co-ordination with the competent local authorities.
The work of the ministry also consists of supervising international exams in the country and managing their implementation in all public, private and higher education institutions, in co-ordination with the concerned authorities.
It also recognises public and higher education institutions operating outside the country, the equivalency of certificates and qualifications they grant, and ratification of certificates and qualifications issued by public and higher education and training institutions licensed within the country.
The Emirates Schools Establishment
The new structure of the education system included the Emirates Schools Establishment, which comes under the umbrella of the UAE Cabinet. This is focused on the efficiency of government schools and nurseries, supervising public schools in the country, and implementing policies, strategies and standards related to the development of the education sector.
Under the new structure, the Establishment will also be specialised in developing student-care programmes, activities and events in public schools, supervising their implementation, and proposing innovative and new models for operating public schools to raise their efficiency.
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.”
The bio
Date of Birth: April 25, 1993
Place of Birth: Dubai, UAE
Marital Status: Single
School: Al Sufouh in Jumeirah, Dubai
University: Emirates Airline National Cadet Programme and Hamdan University
Job Title: Pilot, First Officer
Number of hours flying in a Boeing 777: 1,200
Number of flights: Approximately 300
Hobbies: Exercising
Nicest destination: Milan, New Zealand, Seattle for shopping
Least nice destination: Kabul, but someone has to do it. It’s not scary but at least you can tick the box that you’ve been
Favourite place to visit: Dubai, there’s no place like home
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
TRAINING FOR TOKYO
A typical week's training for Sebastian, who is competing at the ITU Abu Dhabi World Triathlon on March 8-9:
- Four swim sessions (14km)
- Three bike sessions (200km)
- Four run sessions (45km)
- Two strength and conditioning session (two hours)
- One session therapy session at DISC Dubai
- Two-three hours of stretching and self-maintenance of the body
ITU Abu Dhabi World Triathlon
For more information go to www.abudhabi.triathlon.org.
LAST 16
SEEDS
Liverpool, Manchester City, Barcelona, Paris St-Germain, Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, Valencia, Juventus
PLUS
Real Madrid, Tottenham, Atalanta, Atletico Madrid, Napoli, Borussia Dortmund, Lyon, Chelsea
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
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