The UAE's new education ministers have set out a plan to overhaul government-run schools, with investment in teachers and far more parental involvement in how children are taught.
There will be a renewed focus on maths and science taught in English from a young age, ministers said at a media briefing in Dubai.
Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of State for Public Education and Future Technology, said the ultimate aim is that the changes benefit every pupil in public schools across the country.
“We have three main priorities," she said.
"Firstly, our priority is to ensure the learning outcome of every public school pupil at every level.
"Secondly, it's the teachers, teachers, teachers. They are the foundation to build a good education system and are needed at all levels.
If you are teaching subjects such as maths and sciences in English, then you are increasing their exposure to English
Ahmad Al Falasi,
the Minister of Education
"And, thirdly, it is the leadership team that supports teachers and pupils. They can ensure the proposed changes will be carried out effectively."
Public schools are primarily for UAE citizens but they also accept some children of residents.
A trained scientist, Ms Al Amiri is the chairwoman of the board of directors of the Emirates Schools Establishment, which runs publicly owned schools.
“This generation will face many challenges whether at school or during their professional life and we need to support them not just by equipping them with knowledge but also with the right tools and innovative thinking," she said.
"They need support to keep abreast with the current changes."
Last week, the government said 10 schools would be taken over by private operators.
Ajyal Schools, or Generation Schools, will be operated by leading private sector education groups Taaleem, Aldar Education and Bloom Education, and serve about 14,000 pupils nationwide.
All 10 schools will be in the Northern Emirates and will switch to the American curriculum.
Within three years, 28 schools will be run under this public-private partnership.
New model of government schools - in pictures
“Like any educational system around the world, we don’t have one educational system or one school model or one method of teaching for the entire country," Ms Al Amiri said.
"At the end of the day, it has to be a system that matches the current requirements, the pupils' learning capacity, aspirations, and outcomes."
At the Generation Schools, "the same curriculum will be taught, the same learning outcomes will be required but it will be delivered in innovative and different ways according to current trends and needs,” she said.
Core subjects will also be taught in English at an early stage for the first time.
“The curriculum is there but the biggest challenge was the teachers and there was also the question of the medium of teaching," Ahmad Al Falasi, the Minister of Education, told The National.
"If you are teaching subjects such as maths and sciences in English, then you are increasing their exposure to English.”
He said these subjects were taught in Arabic when the children were young and English was introduced at a later stage.
“The current stage requires serious work in order to strengthen and enhance the education in the UAE," he said.
"Our aim is to achieve radical transformations in line with the future national strategies and plans.
"We are keen to form a clear vision about the present and the future of education, and link it to the Sustainable Development Goals to ensure we have qualified pupils."
The new structure is led by the Education and Human Resources Council, Federal Authority for Quality of Education, the Ministry of Education, the Federal Authority for Early Childhood Education, the Emirates Schools Establishment, in addition to the local education authorities in each emirate.
“We are committed to re-evaluating the quality of services, and providing a system that achieves rapid response, and best levels of achievement,” said Mr Al Falasi.
Parents will also be encouraged to take an active role in their child’s education.
Ms Al Amiri said that they were studying a “mechanism” that allows parents to be directly involved in their children's progress at school.
“Besides teachers, we also want parents to be involved in the decision-making process," she said.
"At the Ajyal Schools, all the parties involved are partners in the educational process. The pupil is a partner and the parents are strategic partners. The role of a parent is crucial, particularly in the early years."
A unified framework will also be applied to government kindergartens and preschools.
Sara Musallam, Minister of State for Early Education and chairwoman of the Federal Authority for Early Education, said: “While working on a new generation of learners, we need to lay the supporting foundations to empower pupils in their education journey, from the early years.
“We will co-ordinate with all concerned authorities to prepare a unified regulatory framework, which will be applied to more than 600 nurseries, all kindergartens and preschools of public and private schools in the UAE.”
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Starring: Hani Razmzi, Maya Nasir and Hassan Hosny
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What is Reform?
Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.
It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.
Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.
After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.
Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.
The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.
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Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
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Disability on screen
Empire — neuromuscular disease myasthenia gravis; bipolar disorder; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Rosewood and Transparent — heart issues
24: Legacy — PTSD;
Superstore and NCIS: New Orleans — wheelchair-bound
Taken and This Is Us — cancer
Trial & Error — cognitive disorder prosopagnosia (facial blindness and dyslexia)
Grey’s Anatomy — prosthetic leg
Scorpion — obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety
Switched at Birth — deafness
One Mississippi, Wentworth and Transparent — double mastectomy
Dragons — double amputee
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The view from The National
Afghanistan fixtures
- v Australia, today
- v Sri Lanka, Tuesday
- v New Zealand, Saturday,
- v South Africa, June 15
- v England, June 18
- v India, June 22
- v Bangladesh, June 24
- v Pakistan, June 29
- v West Indies, July 4
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
What it means to be a conservationist
Who is Enric Sala?
Enric Sala is an expert on marine conservation and is currently the National Geographic Society's Explorer-in-Residence. His love of the sea started with his childhood in Spain, inspired by the example of the legendary diver Jacques Cousteau. He has been a university professor of Oceanography in the US, as well as working at the Spanish National Council for Scientific Research and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Biodiversity and the Bio-Economy. He has dedicated his life to protecting life in the oceans. Enric describes himself as a flexitarian who only eats meat occasionally.
What is biodiversity?
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, all life on earth – including in its forests and oceans – forms a “rich tapestry of interconnecting and interdependent forces”. Biodiversity on earth today is the product of four billion years of evolution and consists of many millions of distinct biological species. The term ‘biodiversity’ is relatively new, popularised since the 1980s and coinciding with an understanding of the growing threats to the natural world including habitat loss, pollution and climate change. The loss of biodiversity itself is dangerous because it contributes to clean, consistent water flows, food security, protection from floods and storms and a stable climate. The natural world can be an ally in combating global climate change but to do so it must be protected. Nations are working to achieve this, including setting targets to be reached by 2020 for the protection of the natural state of 17 per cent of the land and 10 per cent of the oceans. However, these are well short of what is needed, according to experts, with half the land needed to be in a natural state to help avert disaster.
