Nurseries in Abu Dhabi will be required to employ at least one Arabic-speaking teacher and encouraged to provide additional training staff in support of a new drive to immerse children in the language from an early age.
Abu Dhabi's Department of Education and Knowledge said the mandate would be introduced at the emirate's 200-plus nurseries – referred to as early childhood institutes by the authority – for the 2025/26 academic year, which typically begins at the end of August.
Currently, Arabic lessons are compulsory for private school pupils in the capital from year 2 to year 10 (about six to 15) for non-native speakers and year 2 to 13 (about six to 18) for Arabic speakers.
While formal Arabic teaching will not be provided to nursery children – usually aged from about six weeks old to four – they will be exposed to the language through song, sounds and play.
“The idea is that language acquisition starts at the earliest age," said Sylvie Wald, education policy office director at the department.
"The idea is to expose them from an early age, because eventually, if they're going to stay in Abu Dhabi, they're going to be integrated into the school system and will have that foundational basis."
She said it was important to share the country's language and customs with expatriate children. "Here, we don't have very many opportunities for that, so being able to integrate that into the early education sector is something that we want to offer all of our expats," said Ms Wald.
Nurseries are also being urged to train staff – who may not be in a teaching position - to take on the role of introducing children to the Arabic language.
Nurseries which fail to comply with the requirements will be warned before facing fines or other penalties. The department will conduct visits to ensure centres are following the rules and gather feedback from private schools and nurseries.
“The idea is to start by working with the schools to help them improve,” said Ms Wald. ". We don't want to penalise them."
Multilingual learners
Dr Hanadi Dayyeh, director of Arabic studies at the American Community School of Abu Dhabi, said the decision would be beneficial for young learners.
“I think this is a very, very powerful thing that they're doing,” Dr Dayyeh. “Children, up to the age of seven, can pick up four, five or six languages and they manage to navigate them.
“It comes naturally to them. It's definitely an added value to start as early as possible in being exposed to the language, whatever one you're learning.”
Abu Dhabi institute to revamp Arabic teaching - in pictures
UAE leaders have consistently highlighted the need to preserve and protect the Arabic language for generations to come.
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, said in May there was an urgent need to foster Arabic language skills in young people. Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah, has also has long championed the preservation of a language spoken by more than 300 million people around the world.
Education action plan
The directive was one of more than 60 updated policies for private schools and nurseries issued by the authority on Wednesday, focusing on teaching and learning, health, safety, and the well-being of children and staff, as well as how schools are governed.
Under the strategy, nurseries must include Emirati dishes on their weekly meal plans and educate children about sustainability.
The department has also set out a new engagement policy, which will mean parents will be more involved in their children’s schools and receive regular updates.
Ms Wald said the department has considered the impact the new policies could have on education costs for nurseries and schools, and whether this will affect fees paid by parents.
“School fees are regulated by Adek based on the education cost index," she said. "We have looked at what type of financial impact this will have, and this has been built into future plans.
“Of course, any sort of increases will still have to come to Adek for approval and it will need to be justified but nonetheless there will not be any major differences from the previous increases that were sought by schools because they were already on a path for continuous improvement, which involved a lot of these changes.”
Sara Musallam, chairman of the department, said the strategy was key to the development of the capital's education sector. “By setting clear, research-based regulatory requirements, we create a path for continuous improvement across our private schools and early education institutes, ensuring our students are prepared to contribute to a globally competitive society," she said.
“The policies also ensure equity and consistency in the quality of education, providing transparency and accountability for educators, while enhancing the overall education experience for students and parents.”
HOW TO WATCH
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SERIES INFO
Cricket World Cup League Two
Nepal, Oman, United States tri-series
Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu
Fixtures
Wednesday February 5, Oman v Nepal
Thursday, February 6, Oman v United States
Saturday, February 8, United States v Nepal
Sunday, February 9, Oman v Nepal
Tuesday, February 11, Oman v United States
Wednesday, February 12, United States v Nepal
Table
The top three sides advance to the 2022 World Cup Qualifier.
The bottom four sides are relegated to the 2022 World Cup playoff
1 United States 8 6 2 0 0 12 0.412
2 Scotland 8 4 3 0 1 9 0.139
3 Namibia 7 4 3 0 0 8 0.008
4 Oman 6 4 2 0 0 8 -0.139
5 UAE 7 3 3 0 1 7 -0.004
6 Nepal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
7 PNG 8 0 8 0 0 0 -0.458
Fines for littering
In Dubai:
Dh200 for littering or spitting in the Dubai Metro
Dh500 for throwing cigarette butts or chewing gum on the floor, or littering from a vehicle.
Dh1,000 for littering on a beach, spitting in public places, throwing a cigarette butt from a vehicle
In Sharjah and other emirates
Dh500 for littering - including cigarette butts and chewing gum - in public places and beaches in Sharjah
Dh2,000 for littering in Sharjah deserts
Dh500 for littering from a vehicle in Ras Al Khaimah
Dh1,000 for littering from a car in Abu Dhabi
Dh1,000 to Dh100,000 for dumping waste in residential or public areas in Al Ain
Dh10,000 for littering at Ajman's beaches
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Tuesday (UAE kick-off times)
Leicester City v Brighton (9pm)
Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United (11.15pm)
Wednesday
Manchester United v Sheffield United (9pm)
Newcastle United v Aston Villa (9pm)
Norwich City v Everton (9pm)
Wolves v Bournemouth (9pm)
Liverpool v Crystal Palace (11.15pm)
Thursday
Burnley v Watford (9pm)
Southampton v Arsenal (9pm)
Chelsea v Manchester City (11.15pm)
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more from Janine di Giovanni
Company Profile
Name: JustClean
Based: Kuwait with offices in other GCC countries
Launch year: 2016
Number of employees: 130
Sector: online laundry service
Funding: $12.9m from Kuwait-based Faith Capital Holding
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
HIV on the rise in the region
A 2019 United Nations special analysis on Aids reveals 37 per cent of new HIV infections in the Mena region are from people injecting drugs.
New HIV infections have also risen by 29 per cent in western Europe and Asia, and by 7 per cent in Latin America, but declined elsewhere.
Egypt has shown the highest increase in recorded cases of HIV since 2010, up by 196 per cent.
Access to HIV testing, treatment and care in the region is well below the global average.
Few statistics have been published on the number of cases in the UAE, although a UNAIDS report said 1.5 per cent of the prison population has the virus.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2015%20PRO%20MAX
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Uefa Nations League: How it works
The Uefa Nations League, introduced last year, has reached its final stage, to be played over five days in northern Portugal. The format of its closing tournament is compact, spread over two semi-finals, with the first, Portugal versus Switzerland in Porto on Wednesday evening, and the second, England against the Netherlands, in Guimaraes, on Thursday.
The winners of each semi will then meet at Porto’s Dragao stadium on Sunday, with the losing semi-finalists contesting a third-place play-off in Guimaraes earlier that day.
Qualifying for the final stage was via League A of the inaugural Nations League, in which the top 12 European countries according to Uefa's co-efficient seeding system were divided into four groups, the teams playing each other twice between September and November. Portugal, who finished above Italy and Poland, successfully bid to host the finals.
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday Benevento v Atalanta (2pm), Genoa v Bologna (5pm), AC Milan v Torino (7.45pm)
Sunday Roma v Inter Milan (3.30pm), Udinese v Napoli, Hellas Verona v Crotone, Parma v Lazio (2pm), Fiorentina v Cagliari (9pm), Juventus v Sassuolo (11.45pm)
Monday Spezia v Sampdoria (11.45pm)
