Dubai, April 23, 2008 – The ‘Teach in Dubai’ scholarship programme launched last year to attract the best teachers into schools is seeking applicants for the second year of the initiative.
The programme offers full scholarships for a Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) at the British University in Dubai (BUiD) in Knowledge Village. It is aimed at graduate male and female Emirati nationals and graduates from the Arabic-speaking community who live in the UAE.
At the end of the nine-month course, which will begin in September, the successful students are guaranteed three years’ teaching in a public school in Dubai.
The eight students currently on the course will take up their teaching posts in September, and will graduate in November. Building on that success, there are 20 scholarships on offer for the academic year of 2008-2009.
‘Teach in Dubai’ is part of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority’s (KHDA) efforts to invest in the teaching profession. It is an initiative of the Dubai Schools Agency, an agency of the KHDA, with the British University in Dubai (BUiD) and Birmingham University, UK.
Fatma Al Marri, CEO of the Dubai Schools Agency, said, “Teach in Dubai is a step within our continuous work to provide the schools of Dubai with highly qualified degree holding teachers who have the best educational skills. Those qualified teachers will help in improving and developing the quality of education in our schools.”
She added, “We have launched this programme to be a major destination for experienced teachers, and those who have the required qualifications and skills to become effective teachers. We believe that the teacher is a cornerstone in the process of development.
“We expect more applicants this year than we enrolled in the first year of the programme. We are certain that those who are concerned about the future of our students will answer our call, and we have hopes for them to achieve the future of Dubai that our leadership has envisioned.”
BUiD Vice-Chancellor Dr Abdulla Al Shamsi said: “The ‘Teach in Dubai’ programme is an opportunity for graduates to gain a qualification that will offer them excellent employment prospects, career satisfaction, and the opportunity to give back to the community. This KHDA initiative will definitely strengthen the nation’s education system in the years to come.”
The ‘Teach in Dubai’ initiative is the first phase in KHDA’s efforts to restore status to the teaching profession. It targets the Arabic speaking community from the region who may currently be teaching or are keen to enter the teaching profession.
Existing teachers, fresh graduates in the field of mathematics, science and English who wish to explore a teaching career, and those who wish to return to the teaching profession after a break were among the applicants for the first intake of the scholarship programme.
The benefits include the full scholarship, a monthly stipend and, upon successful completion, a guaranteed teaching job with the Dubai Schools Agency. You can visit www.buid.ac.ae or www.khda.gov.ae for more information.