Expatriate teachers should work harder to understand Emirati students and their culture. Silvia Razgova / The National
Expatriate teachers should work harder to understand Emirati students and their culture. Silvia Razgova / The National
Expatriate teachers should work harder to understand Emirati students and their culture. Silvia Razgova / The National
Expatriate teachers should work harder to understand Emirati students and their culture. Silvia Razgova / The National

Teachers must be more aware of UAE culture


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The lack of awareness among expatriate teachers about Emirati culture has been a cause for concern for many parents. Some teachers come to the UAE without having a basic understanding of the values and beliefs that shape our society or the laws and regulations that govern us. This has led to some experts calling for pre-service training programmes to educate new teachers.

As The National reported yesterday, education consultant Judith Finnemore said there was a "culture of ignorance" among some expatriates, including teachers employed to educate Emirati children. The Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) and some public schools have already identified the problem and started raising awareness by hosting training sessions, but there is much more to be done to integrate foreign teachers into the general fabric of society.

The process will not be easy, especially in the private sector. The UAE is home to more than 200 nationalities and our schools teach 16 different curricula. This environment provides many challenges, but it is essential to equip all teachers with the skills and knowledge they need to understand not just their Emirati students and their families but the country in which they are living. Pre-service sensitivity training will give them an idea of what to expect in the classroom and in social or public situations, what to encourage or discourage among students, and what to avoid doing or saying. Such a scheme could have avoided the incident in Sharjah this year when a western teacher was dismissed from a private school for showing a culturally insensitive film to his students.

Many expatriate teachers are often young and, when they arrive in this country, it is tempting for them to immerse themselves completely in a cocoon of familiarity. They live among and socialise only with other expatriates, and they often fail to even attempt to understand the broader cultural and social environment that they are in.

Cultural awareness can be the key to classroom engagement. It can build positive relationships with students, making the job easier. Some children won’t try to learn if they think the teacher doesn’t care about them or their culture. If individual teachers don’t make the effort to familiarise themselves, then schools and Adec should facilitate the process.

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Winner: Octave, Gerald Avranche, Abdallah Al Hammadi

6pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round 3 (PA) | Group 3 Dh300,000 | 2,200m

Winner: Harrab, Richard Mullen, Mohamed Ali

6.30pm: Emirates Championship (PA) | Group 1 | Dh1million | 2,200m

Winner: BF Mughader, Szczepan Mazur, Younis Al Kalbani

7pm: Abu Dhabi Championship (TB) | Group 3 | Dh380,000 | 2,200m

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7.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) | Conditions | Dh70,000 | 1,600m

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1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
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The distance learning plan

Spring break will be from March 8 - 19

Public school pupils will undergo distance learning from March 22 - April 2. School hours will be 8.30am to 1.30pm

Staff will be trained in distance learning programmes from March 15 - 19

Teaching hours will be 8am to 2pm during distance learning

Pupils will return to school for normal lessons from April 5

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The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store

To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.

The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.

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Director: Dexter Fletcher

Starring: Taron Egerton, Richard Madden, Jamie Bell

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars 

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  • The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
  • Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
  • National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
  • In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
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Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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  • Animals
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  • Radios or power banks
  • Laser pointers
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Started: 2018

Founders: Eslam Hussein and Pulkit Ganjoo

Based: Dubai

Sector: Transport

Size: 9 employees

Investment: $1,275,000

Investors: Class 5 Global, Equitrust, Gulf Islamic Investments, Kairos K50 and William Zeqiri

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
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Profile of MoneyFellows

Founder: Ahmed Wadi

Launched: 2016

Employees: 76

Financing stage: Series A ($4 million)

Investors: Partech, Sawari Ventures, 500 Startups, Dubai Angel Investors, Phoenician Fund

Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

Specs

Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

Range: 400km

Power: 134bhp

Torque: 175Nm

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Newcastle 2-2 Manchester City
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Chelsea 0-1 West Ham
Liverpool 2-1 Brighton
Tottenham 3-2 Bournemouth
Southampton v Watford (late)

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Produced by: Clean Slate Films (Anushka Sharma, Karnesh Sharma) & KriArj Entertainment

Director: Prosit Roy

Starring: Anushka Sharma, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Ritabhari Chakraborty, Rajat Kapoor, Mansi Multani

Three stars

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Price, base / as tested Dh57,000

Engine 1,170cc air/oil-cooled flat twin four-stroke engine

Transmission Six-speed gearbox

Power 110hp) @ 7,750rpm

Torque 116Nm @ 6,000rpm

Fuel economy, combined 5.3L / 100km

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Company%20profile
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The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo

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Engine: 5.6-litre V8

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