All eyes on education in Abu Dhabi

People worldwide are being quizzed by UAE school chiefs, writes Ismail Sebugwaawo...

Education chiefs in Abu Dhabi are inviting teachers, parents and school principals to special forums as they attempt to hammer out ways to improve education in the capital.

The move is in response to an international education summit held in Abu Dhabi two months ago. Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) is near to completing a report on the Transforming Education Summit (TES) and is eager to get further feedback on its findings.

Sebastian Rubens Y Rojo, division director of strategic planning and special projects at ADEC, told 7DAYS: “We are now finalising a ‘summit output report’, which will include the main statements, key findings, recommendations and conclusions for every single panel and presentation.

“The report will soon be posted on the TES website. Hard copies will also be distributed around Abu Dhabi, the UAE and possibly to key leaders around the world.”

ADEC is casting its net wide as it aims to learn about, and provide, the best education techniques available globally. Focus groups will be set up around the world to find out ‘best practices’ in those areas.

The groups will be made up of four to 10 people from education backgrounds as well as those who parti­cipated in the summit or have shown interest in working for education reforms.

“The groups will meet periodically and establish a centre of excellence among other goals,” added Rojo.

The groups will also develop white papers to be shared and presented at 2014 TES in Abu Dhabi.

“Transforming Education Summit is not just about one conference,” Rojo said. “We would continue with more conferences in the future as we look forward to an excellent education in Abu Dhabi.”

This year’s summit, which was a two-day event held in May, was the first of its kind in the region. It attracted more than 200 delegates - including ministers, educational and business leaders - to discuss various challenges facing the educational sector.

Among the issues probed was the need for schools to think more about the quality of teaching rather than profits and equipping children with vocational skills so they are prepared for the workplace.

The use of technology, such as iPads and iPhones, in lessons was also discussed.