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45.3% public school teachers are Emiratis

Emirati teachers at government schools in the emirate currently stand at 6,389 or 45.3 per cent of the total teachers.

This academic year, the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) hired 267 new Emirati teachers in addition to the 270 hired for 2012-2013, surpassing the 350 target it set within the next three years.

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Salama Al Amimi; Abdulla Al Humaidan, executive director of Abu Dhabi Tawteen Council;Dr Mugheer Al Khaili and Mohammed Al Dhaheri, at the launch of the training programme in Abu Dhabi on Sunday . — Supplied photo

Despite the aggressive recruitment efforts by Adec, Dr Mugheer Khamis Al Khaili, director-general of Adec, said the numbers are still not enough to meet the emiratisation agenda or the vision “to emiratise the entire teaching staff.”

“We hope to be able to achieve our objectives in emiratisation. The teaching profession is important especially in the coming years,” Dr Al Khaili said. In an effort to further raise the number of competent teachers, the Adec launched on Sunday the ‘Eadad (preparation) Training Programme’ for newly-hired teachers in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Tawteen Council.

The programme which will be carried out in six months covering theoretical (six weeks) and practical training (four and half months), will introduce new teachers on the new school model (NSM) pedagogy.

“The Eadad programme aims to prepare the UAE national teachers in all subjects … focusing on training and modern teaching methodology of NSM,” said Mohammed Al Dhaheri, Adec’s executive director of School Operations.

He added that participants to the programme are teachers who applied to Adec but need to be qualified further according to Adec standards. There are 59 participants (all females) — 41 in Al Ain and 18 in Abu Dhabi — during the pilot phase which will commence this month. “We noticed (during interview) that they face difficulty in the new pedagogy and how the new school model operates,” Salama Al Amimi, executive director of Organisational Development and Excellence Office at Adec, observed. For Eadad, Adec has partnered with companies and institutions who are specialists on teachers’ training to deliver the programme. Participants will be under the supervision of academic advisors who will also evaluate their performance.

“No one will be a teacher in the classroom if they are not qualified. Once the teacher is qualified, then he/she can join the classroom,” Dr Al Khaili stressed.

Dr Al Khaili underscored the importance of developing the skills of educators and noted that all staff at Abu Dhabi government schools undergo training each week.

According to Al Amimi, between 10 and 12 per cent of the Adec budget is allocated for professional development and training programmes for teachers. And when Eadad proved to be successful, this will in future become part of the induction programme for new teachers including those with experience.

olivia@khaleejtimes.com