Abu Dhabi // The government-owned alternative energy firm Masdar will help generate parts of new science curriculum in schools, education authorities announced yesterday. The new material, planned for schools using the national Ministry of Education curriculum, will cover sustainability, environmental awareness and renewable energy, according to the deal with the ministry, the Abu Dhabi Education Council and Masdar. State schools in Abu Dhabi using the council's curriculum also will participate.
"Renewable energy is a growing and important sector in the UAE, and thanks to the efforts of our leadership, we are transforming ourselves into an exporter of knowledge and expertise in the area of renewable energy technology," Dr Sultan al Jaber, chief executive of Masdar, said in a statement yesterday. "It is vital that we develop now to ensure we have a highly skilled workforce in the future that can see this transformation to its fruition."
Several areas of collaboration are outlined in the agreement, including curriculum development and teacher training. Masdar will provide technical support to teachers and give schools access to faculty and researchers from the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology for mentorship programmes. The budget for the project has not yet been set, and the specifics of how Masdar will influence the curriculum are still being considered.
"The aim is to instill an appreciation for science at an early age, laying the foundations for increased environmental awareness and understanding of crucial topics such as climate change and sustainability as students progress through the school and university," Mr al Jaber said yesterday by e-mail. The Ministry of Education's science curriculum was recently criticised in a report released by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority, which oversees education in Dubai.
"The Ministry of Education curriculum emphasises the acquisition of a body of scientific knowledge rather than the understanding and skills needed to apply the knowledge to real-life problems," the report added. The results from Dubai's participation in a the 2007 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study exam also indicated that students from state schools performed considerably worse in science than their peers in private schools that offered the UK and US curriculum on the science portion of the exam.
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'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
RESULT
Manchester City 1 Sheffield United 0
Man City: Jesus (9')
Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
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Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
ORDER OF PLAY ON SHOW COURTS
Centre Court - 4pm (UAE)
Gael Monfils (15) v Kyle Edmund
Karolina Pliskova (3) v Magdalena Rybarikova
Dusan Lajovic v Roger Federer (3)
Court 1 - 4pm
Adam Pavlasek v Novak Djokovic (2)
Dominic Thiem (8) v Gilles Simon
Angelique Kerber (1) v Kirsten Flipkens
Court 2 - 2.30pm
Grigor Dimitrov (13) v Marcos Baghdatis
Agnieszka Radwanska (9) v Christina McHale
Milos Raonic (6) v Mikhail Youzhny
Tsvetana Pironkova v Caroline Wozniacki (5)
