DUBAI - Government schools in the country will soon adhere to standards set by the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) in Math, Science and English subjects, following accreditation by the Ministry of Education.
However, Arabic and Islamic Studies will be governed by the national curriculum.
Kindergarten to Grade IX students will be impacted by the move, which is expected to be in place by the beginning of the next academic year in September 2009.
“We have approved the standards of the Abu Dhabi Education Council because they meet international standards.
“Hence, Mathematic, English and Sciences in government schools will apply ADEC’s standards. Arabic language and Islamic Studies will continue to abide by the standards of the national curriculum,” Minister of Education Dr Hanif Hassan told reporters on Thursday.
The decision follows the second meeting of the newly-formed Education Coordination and Integration Council.
The heads of various education councils, who constitute the new committee, accredited the capital’s education standards after unanimously agreeing that they matched global standards.
Accreditation, which is been part of the ministry’s plans to overhaul education in the UAE, would also ensure that schools adopted high standards, provided good learning resources, and better education environment and technology to students.
The committee also discussed the need to improve learning outcomes and raise the skills of students to meet the demands of labour markets, said Dr Hassan, adding that it was imperative to improve communication between the ministry and the public sector.
“Ten standards will be applied on the curriculum followed by schools based on the accreditation of Abu Dhabi Education Council,” said Rashid Al Nuaimi, Director-General in the Ministry of Education. “The schools will be soon apprised of the standards,” he added.
In an attempt to test the accreditation before its implementation, the ministry had announced in October that 10 public schools would volunteer to follow a set of criteria for a pilot project that would begin on January 1 next year and continue till the end of the 2008-2009 academic year.
The accreditation standards are expected to be implemented in all public schools in the new academic year.
Preeti Kannan