Students in the Al Qasimi Foundation’s Hands On Learning program had an opportunity to experience working as a McDonald’s team member for a day thanks to a partnership with the Al Safeer McDonald’s restaurant in Ras Al Khaimah.
The Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) said on Tuesday that 51 out of 186 private schools may raise their fees for the academic year starting next month, some by up to 50 percent. Despite the announcement, school fee schedules posted by ADEC show that tuition fees will maintain their same price levels as in the elapsed academic year, making parents confused in regards to the fees they will be paying.
Mandatory training for public school teachers is often repetitive, irrelevant, or provided by unqualified instructors, a study has suggested. The UAE has one of the highest rates of teachers taking part in professional development, at 92 percent, but the survey shows discontent with its quality.
State-funded foundations offer opportunities to promising Emirati youth but lack services to meet the growing needs of at-risk youths, the elderly, and the environment, a study has found.
Getting every teacher through the UAE’s licensing system and maintaining a clearer balance between investment in schools and profits will be key challenges facing the education sector into the next decade, experts say. Dr. Natasha Ridge calls for a more diverse education sector with a wider range of non-profit schools.
Education leaders in the Gulf are familiar with international benchmark tests like the PIRLS, TIMSS, and PISA. Most are also familiar with the reality that, despite massive financial investments in education on the part of GCC states, their test scores remain comparatively low. Cognitive neuroscience, believes Dr. Abadzi, may shed light on why Arab students fall behind students from other nations at such early stages in their education.
Soraya Sikander exhibited work at the 2016 Ras Al Khaimah Fine Arts Festival. Here, she shares her thoughts on abstract art and why Ras Al Khaimah’s beautiful landscapes and seascapes continue to inspire her.
Al Qasimi Foundation visiting scholar Matthew Maclean presented his research on important historical sites in Ras Al Khaimah and how they can be integrated into present-day life to retain the unique character of the emirate.
GEMS, a major private school operator, is offering shares to teachers across the region in a bid to keep them for the long term. Growing competition within private schools has spawned a buyers’ market for teachers. Dr. Natasha Ridge said it was good to encourage employee ownership of a company but there was no evidence to suggest that it would result in better quality education.
Doctoral Scholar Matt MacLean tells the story of the first road between the emirates, which connected Dubai to Ras Al Khaimah beginning in the 1960s. The implications of this road involved international politics and national identity. Moreover, the significance of mobility in the UAE has not decreased in the years of development since that road was paved.