New training programme for teachers

Universities will administer certification courses for public school educators similar to existing training for principals.

A pupil tackles her workbook at the Nad Al Hamar Primary School For Basic Education in Dubai.

ABU DHABI // Public school teachers and principals will have to go back to class to meet the new minimum standards for their profession. The new certification scheme is part of a federal plan to significantly reform the public school system, announced by the Minister of Education, Dr Hanif Hassan, yesterday. In the past, the ministry hired teachers without university degrees or education specialities, sometimes placing them in front of pupils after just a few weeks of training. Under the new rules, all teachers - those already in the field and the ones entering it - will have to complete an intensive certification programme.

"You have people in the system who were not required to have a university degree," said Dr Vincent Ferrandino, director of the ministry's office of policy and planning. "The reason for certification is that it requires a minimum standard. It's based upon what we know is best practice." Teachers will have to renew their licences every five years. The training programme, which is still under development, will be administered in co-operation with Zayed and UAE universities. Dr Ferrandino said a decree would be issued in the coming months providing further details about it.

The new rules will also have an impact on how much public school teachers are paid. The new licensing system will create different tiers of experience, with each level offering a corresponding pay scale, although Dr Ferrandino said the exact amounts had yet to be determined. "That is something that has to be worked out by the ministry and the cabinet," he said. "It's going to require some additional resources and those have not been secured yet."

In addition to the new certification requirements, teachers already working in public schools will have to undergo intensive training on the new national curriculum. The curriculum, which was developed by the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) in 2006, will eventually be introduced in all public schools. Paul Doorn, the manager of the public private partnership programme at the education council, said the new curriculum would give teachers greater flexibility than rote-learning models allowed, because there was more room for the use of different teaching methods.

"A standard explains what's expected, but in terms of the flexibility, schools will need to determine how best their children can actually achieve those standards," he said. "That's perhaps going to be the most challenging thing for our teachers." Although the ministry did not release its full plan for teacher training yesterday, it did announce that all public school teachers would be provided with reference materials on the new curriculum, online workshops and monthly training sessions, in addition to one-on-one training.

In July, the minister announced a similar certification scheme for public school principals that requires each one to take a 14-month leadership certificate course. Previously, teachers could easily move up the ladder to become school principals even if they lacked such training. The ministry's goal is to move school principals from a managerial role to that of an instructional leader who will be in charge of long-term planning for the school, including training and hiring teachers.

Last autumn, 75 principals began the first leadership training course, developed by the ministry and Zayed University. Before enrolling in the programme, principals had to demonstrate they were proficient in English by scoring at least 500 out of a possible 677 on the standardised Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam, or a five out of a possible nine on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

Eventually, the principals of all state schools will be required to undergo the leadership training. Dr Hassan's strategic plan is attempting to raise standards in schools up to an international level. In the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom, teachers are required to have both education credentials and a university degree. [e-mail]