Sustainability, finance added to UAE public school syllabus

Students will now study sustainability and financial literacy as part of the revised public school curriculum.

Education Minister Humaid Mohammed Obaid Al Qattami and Emirates Foundation Managing Director Shaikh Sultan bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan signed an agreement to incorporate sustainability and personal finance management in government school programmes.

Humaid Al Qattami and Shaikh Sultan bin Tahnoun sign the agreement on the new syllabus. — Supplied photo

“Education for sustainable development means inclusion of topics such as climate changes, reducing disaster risks, sustainable consumption and personal financial management in the teaching-learning process; and these are issues that should be well-comprehended for a prosperous future,” Al Qattami said.

“The agreement lays the foundation for a strategic partnership between the Ministry of Education and the Emirates Foundation whose contributions will, with no doubt, build a better future for our citizens,” he said.

“Incorporating sustainable development issues in the teaching curricula allows our students to gain knowledge, necessary skills, and values to chart sustainable future for the state,” Shaikh Sultan said.

In addition, the collaboration aims to develop a plan that offers job opportunities for youngsters to become professional teaching assistants after attending the “Teacher Assistant” initiative — a project of the Emirates Foundation “Kayani” Programme. They will be appointed as teacher assistants for students with special needs classes in government schools.

The two parties will involve students in the foundation’s programmes which include Takatof Programme for Social Volunteering, the National Emergency Response Volunteer Programme (Sanid), Kafa’at, “Think Science” Kayani and the Financial Literacy programme (Isref Sah).

Al Qattami stressed that the Ministry of Education is honoured to be a part of the national strategy aimed at the development of the UAE youth.

On the sidelines of the signing ceremony, Maytha Al Habsi, Chief Programmes Officer at the foundation, gave a presentation outlining the importance of integrating sustainability topics into the school curriculum.

muaz@khaleejtimes.com