ABU DHABI // A popular American teaching programme that brings the brightest university graduates to teach in some of the country's toughest schools will be launched in the UAE next year.
Under the programme, some 30 new Emirati graduates who finished among the top of their class will go to work in state schools.
"The idea is that you're bringing outstanding graduates who care about education to the profession," said Sid Djerfi, the managing director of Middle East Relations at Teach for All, the international wing of Teach for America.
"In bringing them to some of the higher-need schools they would work on making sure the kids are achieving their potential."
Beyond that, he said, the scheme has the broader effect of spurring on its alumni to progress to more senior teaching and policy-making positions.
In the US, Teach for America counts Michelle Rhee, the chancellor of Washington's public schools, among its alumni.
It has also been acclaimed for attracting applicants from the highest-ranked American universities.
In 2009, 18 per cent of Harvard's new graduates applied. Since the recession set in, competition has become still more intense.
Last year, Teach for America chose 4,500 graduates out of a record 46,359 applicants, nearly three times as many as it received in 2007.
Mr Djerfi hopes the UAE programme will be as successful in attracting exceptional applicants as its American counterpart, but acknowledges that it will be an uphill battle.
His organisation will be competing with leading firms such as the investment company Mubadala for a limited pool of Emirati talent.
"It certainly is a challenge," he said. "We know that the pool is very small. However, there are a number of things that will be to our advantage.
"In any society, there are a number of graduates who want to do something good that is not essentially financially motivated."
Another attraction would be the relatively short-term nature of the commitment required.
"One other thing that we see is attractive in other areas is the fact that we're only asking for two years of commitment.
"In the US and the UK you see between 60-70 per cent of those who do the programme stay in education. But the fact that our programme only requires two years attracts a very interesting group of people, who really want to do something good."
But the programme has no shortage of detractors. A study in 2005 found that uncertified teachers were less effective in the classroom. Another, released in June, called the scheme's long-term impact into question because of the high turnover among recruits.
In New York, 85 per cent of Teach for America teachers had left the profession, compared with 37 per cent of conventionally trained teachers.
Planning for Teach for UAE is still in its early stages and Mr Djerfi says much is still to be decided.
Key decisions - including on pay - cannot be made until the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) appoints a head for the scheme.
Adec officials hope the programme will address some of the gaps in education.
Among its goals are to raise the profile of the teaching profession, address the shortage of English, maths and science teachers, send more good teachers to remote areas, and foster a new generation of policy leaders.
"Adec is pursuing every possible mechanism to elevate education in Abu Dhabi to meet international standards," Dr Mugheer al Khaili, the director general of Adec, said in a statement.
"This programme will be an exceptional opportunity for outstanding young Emiratis to give back to the country by helping students achieve more academically, while developing their own leadership skills to benefit themselves and the UAE for the duration of their careers."
klewis@thenational.ae
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Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
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Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Sui Dhaaga: Made in India
Director: Sharat Katariya
Starring: Varun Dhawan, Anushka Sharma, Raghubir Yadav
3.5/5
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- 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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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
How it works
Each player begins with one of the great empires of history, from Julius Caesar's Rome to Ramses of Egypt, spread over Europe and the Middle East.
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A dice-based battle system is used and players can get the edge on their enemy with by deploying a renowned hero on the battlefield.
Players that lose battles and land will find their coffers dwindle and troops go hungry. The end goal? Global domination of course.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Gran Gala del Calcio 2019 winners
Best Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Best Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta)
Best Referee: Gianluca Rocchi
Best Goal: Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria vs Napoli)
Best Team: Atalanta
Best XI: Samir Handanovic (Inter); Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Joao Cancelo (Juventus*); Miralem Pjanic (Juventus), Josip Ilicic (Atalanta), Nicolo Barella (Cagliari*); Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Duvan Zapata (Atalanta)
Serie B Best Young Player: Sandro Tonali (Brescia)
Best Women’s Goal: Thaisa (Milan vs Juventus)
Best Women’s Player: Manuela Giugliano (Milan)
Best Women’s XI: Laura Giuliani (Milan); Alia Guagni (Fiorentina), Sara Gama (Juventus), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Elisa Bartoli (Roma); Aurora Galli (Juventus), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus); Valentina Giacinti (Milan), Ilaria Mauro (Fiorentina), Barbara Bonansea (Juventus)
AndhaDhun
Director: Sriram Raghavan
Producer: Matchbox Pictures, Viacom18
Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan
Rating: 3.5/5