ABU DHABI // The national curriculum for public schools is hindering pupils and is in urgent need of reform, key government advisers say.
They say pupils should be given more vocational skills training and offered a wider range of subjects. The teaching of Arabic is in particular need of improvement, they say.
The call was made in a study by the Dubai School of Government (DSG), a research and teaching institution that focuses on public policy in the Arab world.
Its authors give warning that targets for education set out in last week's national charter have little chance of being met unless the state curriculum and assessment scheme undergoes major change. A huge push to retrain teachers is also needed, they said.
Dr Natasha Ridge, a research fellow at the DSG and co-author of the study with Samar Farah, said of the current curriculum: "In terms of creating students who are knowledge-based rather than content memorisers, it's really hindering students a lot.
"It's creating students who are very good at memorising, but not very good at applying knowledge."
In 2008, the Ministry of Education announced plans to replace the national curriculum with one used in more than half of Abu Dhabi's public schools. However, 18 months later, the old curriculum remains in place.
The curriculum "is narrow and covers fewer subject areas than the best performing countries in the world", the study concluded.
"Schools do not offer vocational skills training or any elective subjects, such as home economics, environmental science or business studies."
The state education system has come in for heavy criticism this week. On Tuesday, a college director said secondary school reforms had achieved little over the past decade.
Earlier, the dean of a university education department said more money was needed to improve the quality of teachers.
The DSG study said while greater emphasis was placed on maths and language instruction in the UAE than leading Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, success rates in these subjects were much lower.
The curriculum should be standards-based and more broad in scope, said Dr Ridge.
Subjects such as arts and music should be offered right through school, she added.
"A new curriculum should have more subject offerings, should integrate ICT [information and communications technology], and should improve and transform in particular the teaching of Arabic," Dr Ridge said.
"We need to start tackling the issue of Arabic language instruction."
The quality of English language instruction has to be addressed as well, said Dr Ridge.
"Girls are coming out with better English language skills than boys. I think there needs to be a really big focus on how English is being taught in boys' schools."
Dr Ridge added: "There is no point in changing the subject offerings if you don't change the number of school hours and you don't change the assessments."
Examinations "have retained a heavy focus on textbook memorisation, and therefore discourage teachers from embracing new student-centred approaches to teaching", the study said.
While describing the content of the curriculum as "probably not that bad in many ways", Dr Ridge said the emphasis was wrong.
Teachers are assessed on how many of their pupils pass examinations, so they have an incentive to drill them on topics that would appear on the paper.
This week, Dr Peggy Blackwell, the dean of the education department at Zayed University, said the ministry budget was not large enough to implement such changes.
Dr Ridge agreed. "I don't think they have the budget required to do the training required to introduce a new curriculum," she said.
"It should be introduced in a phased approach. I would begin with the lower grades. But I think that the ministry lacks capacity and it lacks funding."
It is critical for Emiratis to be involved, said Dr Ridge. "It needs to take place in consultation with all stakeholders," she said. "In particular, you have to include teachers. "
A ministry spokesman was unavailable for comment.
klewis@thenational.ae
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The Freedom Artist
By Ben Okri (Head of Zeus)
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
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More on Quran memorisation:
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Chelsea 2
Willian (13'), Ross Barkley (64')
Liverpool 0
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
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Norwich 0
Watford 2 (Deulofeu 2', Gray 52')
Red card: Christian Kabasele (WatforD)
Poacher
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Essentials
The flights: You can fly from the UAE to Iceland with one stop in Europe with a variety of airlines. Return flights with Emirates from Dubai to Stockholm, then Icelandair to Reykjavik, cost from Dh4,153 return. The whole trip takes 11 hours. British Airways flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Reykjavik, via London, with return flights taking 12 hours and costing from Dh2,490 return, including taxes.
The activities: A half-day Silfra snorkelling trip costs 14,990 Icelandic kronur (Dh544) with Dive.is. Inside the Volcano also takes half a day and costs 42,000 kronur (Dh1,524). The Jokulsarlon small-boat cruise lasts about an hour and costs 9,800 kronur (Dh356). Into the Glacier costs 19,500 kronur (Dh708). It lasts three to four hours.
The tours: It’s often better to book a tailor-made trip through a specialist operator. UK-based Discover the World offers seven nights, self-driving, across the island from £892 (Dh4,505) per person. This includes three nights’ accommodation at Hotel Husafell near Into the Glacier, two nights at Hotel Ranga and two nights at the Icelandair Hotel Klaustur. It includes car rental, plus an iPad with itinerary and tourist information pre-loaded onto it, while activities can be booked as optional extras. More information inspiredbyiceland.com
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
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F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
The biog
Favourite hobby: I love to sing but I don’t get to sing as much nowadays sadly.
Favourite book: Anything by Sidney Sheldon.
Favourite movie: The Exorcist 2. It is a big thing in our family to sit around together and watch horror movies, I love watching them.
Favourite holiday destination: The favourite place I have been to is Florence, it is a beautiful city. My dream though has always been to visit Cyprus, I really want to go there.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
F1 2020 calendar
March 15 - Australia, Melbourne; March 22 - Bahrain, Sakhir; April 5 - Vietnam, Hanoi; April 19 - China, Shanghai; May 3 - Netherlands, Zandvoort; May 20 - Spain, Barcelona; May 24 - Monaco, Monaco; June 7 - Azerbaijan, Baku; June 14 - Canada, Montreal; June 28 - France, Le Castellet; July 5 - Austria, Spielberg; July 19 - Great Britain, Silverstone; August 2 - Hungary, Budapest; August 30 - Belgium, Spa; September 6 - Italy, Monza; September 20 - Singapore, Singapore; September 27 - Russia, Sochi; October 11 - Japan, Suzuka; October 25 - United States, Austin; November 1 - Mexico City, Mexico City; November 15 - Brazil, Sao Paulo; November 29 - Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi.
Fourth-round clashes for British players
- Andy Murray (1) v Benoit Paire, Centre Court (not before 4pm)
- Johanna Konta (6) v Caroline Garcia (21), Court 1 (4pm)