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| UAE Ministry of Education |
The announcement was made on Twitter during an open conversation between the Minister of Education, Humaid Mohammad Obaid Al Qutami, and members of the education sector.
The minister replied to some of the tweeters’ concerns and suggestions regarding various issues.
The suggestions included providing teachers with health insurance. A participant said that not having health insurance had caused his health to deteriorate due to the burden of working in the sector. The minister announced that the ministry is working on a plan that will be implemented in the near future to provide teachers in all emirates with health insurance.
Other suggestions included developing adult education. Corporal punishment was also covered with the minister stressing that the practice is illegal and that teachers don’t have the right to hit children. One participant stated that a student had been beaten by a teacher in a school that had received a high evaluation score.
Another participant asked the ministry to cancel term examinations saying they were a waste of time, however the minister explained that these examinations are a way of measuring the student’s performance in advanced educational systems around the world.
The minister also stated that the ministry had devised a plan and announced incentives to attract male teachers to work in education. He also said that 80 per cent of teachers working in government schools are Emiratis and that the ministry is working towards all teaching posts being taken up by Emiratis. The minister stated that raises for the new batch of principal assistants will be announced soon.
Some of the participants showed concern regarding students being unprepared for university, however, the minister reassured them stating that the ministry has devised a plan to reduce the gap between schools and higher education by introducing a system where academic advisers prepare students to enter the appropriate disciplines early in their studies.
Regarding teaching Arabic and English in schools, the minister stated that although English has become necessary in today’s world the main priority is Arabic and so the ministry will always work on developing it.
The teaching environment and playgrounds were also discussed at the open discussion, where the minister said that improving these facilities was important especially when it comes to improving facilities for students with special needs.
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