The Pisa school skill rankings will look beyond traditional subjects such as maths, reading and science to explore children’s attitudes, educators said at a Middle East-focused forum.
The Programme for International Student Assessment survey traditionally takes place every three years and measures educational performance in reading, mathematics and science.
Andreas Schleicher, director for education and skills at the Organisation for Economic Development, said those subjects were no longer enough to “educate children on how to live in an interconnected world”.
"Global competency is not an automatic by-product of being good at school
Speaking at a seminar held by the Bussola Institute, a think tank that forges connections between Gulf countries and the EU, Mr Schleider said schools should help pupils to understand social attitudes in countries other than their own.
“Global competency is not an automatic by-product of being good at school. Reading, maths and science are important but the attitudes that we create in young people matter at least as much,” he said.
Countries that traditionally fare well on cognisant development did not necessarily do so when it came to the various attitudes and values covered in the assessment, he said.
“On students’ awareness of global issues, those in Albania, Greece, Lithuania, Malta, Portugal and the United Arab Emirates scored substantially higher than the OECD average, while students in Argentina, Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Romania, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam scored substantially lower than the OECD average,” he said.
Oman’s Minister of Education, Madiha Al Shaibaniyah, said greater emphasis on social and cultural values was needed.
“Rapprochement and cultural understanding is part of our philosophy,” she said during the conference.
“We are at a crossroads … the new vision 2040 is very ambitious and education plays a fundamental role.”
Her ministry was focusing on innovation, entrepreneurship and technology, she said.
Oman would take part in the Pisa survey in 2025, for the first time.
The social and economic crisis wrought by Covid-19 have added urgency to calls for education reform.
More than 1.5 billion pupils were sent home from school in March 2020 and many are falling behind in their studies as education moves online.
Tips on buying property during a pandemic
Islay Robinson, group chief executive of mortgage broker Enness Global, offers his advice on buying property in today's market.
While many have been quick to call a market collapse, this simply isn’t what we’re seeing on the ground. Many pockets of the global property market, including London and the UAE, continue to be compelling locations to invest in real estate.
While an air of uncertainty remains, the outlook is far better than anyone could have predicted. However, it is still important to consider the wider threat posed by Covid-19 when buying bricks and mortar.
Anything with outside space, gardens and private entrances is a must and these property features will see your investment keep its value should the pandemic drag on. In contrast, flats and particularly high-rise developments are falling in popularity and investors should avoid them at all costs.
Attractive investment property can be hard to find amid strong demand and heightened buyer activity. When you do find one, be prepared to move hard and fast to secure it. If you have your finances in order, this shouldn’t be an issue.
Lenders continue to lend and rates remain at an all-time low, so utilise this. There is no point in tying up cash when you can keep this liquidity to maximise other opportunities.
Keep your head and, as always when investing, take the long-term view. External factors such as coronavirus or Brexit will present challenges in the short-term, but the long-term outlook remains strong.
Finally, keep an eye on your currency. Whenever currency fluctuations favour foreign buyers, you can bet that demand will increase, as they act to secure what is essentially a discounted property.
Sheikh Zayed's poem
When it is unveiled at Abu Dhabi Art, the Standing Tall exhibition will appear as an interplay of poetry and art. The 100 scarves are 100 fragments surrounding five, figurative, female sculptures, and both sculptures and scarves are hand-embroidered by a group of refugee women artisans, who used the Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery art of tatreez. Fragments of Sheikh Zayed’s poem Your Love is Ruling My Heart, written in Arabic as a love poem to his nation, are embroidered onto both the sculptures and the scarves. Here is the English translation.
Your love is ruling over my heart
Your love is ruling over my heart, even a mountain can’t bear all of it
Woe for my heart of such a love, if it befell it and made it its home
You came on me like a gleaming sun, you are the cure for my soul of its sickness
Be lenient on me, oh tender one, and have mercy on who because of you is in ruins
You are like the Ajeed Al-reem [leader of the gazelle herd] for my country, the source of all of its knowledge
You waddle even when you stand still, with feet white like the blooming of the dates of the palm
Oh, who wishes to deprive me of sleep, the night has ended and I still have not seen you
You are the cure for my sickness and my support, you dried my throat up let me go and damp it
Help me, oh children of mine, for in his love my life will pass me by.
Background: Chemical Weapons
