DUBAI // Private schools in Dubai must urgently address their shortcomings in teaching Arabic, the education regulator has said in a report.
The warning was issued on Monday in the Knowledge and Human Development Authority's report, Key Findings: 2013-2014 Inspection of Private Schools.
The report outlines the strengths and weaknesses of the 141 private schools inspected and offers recommendations for improvements.
"Almost three quarters of schools had shortcomings in Arabic as a first and additional language," the report said. "In some, there was a slight improvement in speaking and listening, but little improvement in reading and writing.
“Approaches to teaching and learning Arabic were too often repetitive and did not motivate or engage students.”
The report found there had been no overall improvement in attainment or progress in Arabic as a first language, and evidence of decline, particularly in the primary phase.
There had also been little improvement among pupils learning Arabic as an additional language.
And almost all of the schools rated “outstanding” still had an area of Arabic where significant improvement was required, the report found.
“Some schools will be able to build on the good work started in improving speaking and listening, but all will need to develop students’ skills in reading and writing,” the authority said in its key recommendation on Arabic.
“Schools should broaden approaches to teaching and learning in Arabic so that students feel more enthusiastic, confident and competent, in speaking, reading and writing the language.”
Ayesha Al Janahi, 31, mother of a KG1 pupil at a Dubai private school, praised the authority for highlighting the issue.
“The UAE identity should be instilled in children but I realise some schools don’t even play the national anthem,” Mrs Al Janahi said. “If you want to instil something in children it should be in the early years.”
She said she had begun singing the words of the national anthem to her four-year-old son before taking him to school so he could memorise it.
“The other thing is Islamic. They don’t have qualified teachers for teaching Islamic,” Mrs Al Janahi said. “They should memorise the verses. They should know the Holy Quran.
“They don’t do anything like this. The thing that they are lacking is Islamic.
“You can see now most of the Emiratis and the Arabs, they don’t have fluent Arabic. They are speaking as if they are just learning, like an expat mostly, not like their mother tongue is Arabic. This should be the biggest focus.”
About 29,000 Emiratis attend private schools in Dubai. Most of them – 16,260 – are enrolled in schools rated as "acceptable".
There were 237,735 students enrolled in private schools in Dubai this academic year, compared with 221,332 last year.
The authority also stressed the need for private schools to work towards meeting international assessment benchmarks outlined this year by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, as part of his National Agenda.
The targets call for the UAE to be among the 15 highest performing countries in Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study tests, and in the top 20 countries in Programme for International Student Assessment exams.
So far only the International Baccalaureate and UK curriculum schools meet the National Agenda targets, the latest test results show.
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4th ODI, Tuesday, April 16
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A foster couple or family must:
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- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
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Pox that threatens the Middle East's native species
Camelpox
Caused by a virus related to the one that causes human smallpox, camelpox typically causes fever, swelling of lymph nodes and skin lesions in camels aged over three, but the animal usually recovers after a month or so. Younger animals may develop a more acute form that causes internal lesions and diarrhoea, and is often fatal, especially when secondary infections result. It is found across the Middle East as well as in parts of Asia, Africa, Russia and India.
Falconpox
Falconpox can cause a variety of types of lesions, which can affect, for example, the eyelids, feet and the areas above and below the beak. It is a problem among captive falcons and is one of many types of avian pox or avipox diseases that together affect dozens of bird species across the world. Among the other forms are pigeonpox, turkeypox, starlingpox and canarypox. Avipox viruses are spread by mosquitoes and direct bird-to-bird contact.
Houbarapox
Houbarapox is, like falconpox, one of the many forms of avipox diseases. It exists in various forms, with a type that causes skin lesions being least likely to result in death. Other forms cause more severe lesions, including internal lesions, and are more likely to kill the bird, often because secondary infections develop. This summer the CVRL reported an outbreak of pox in houbaras after rains in spring led to an increase in mosquito numbers.
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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