A new education report has laid bare a lack of progress in the teaching of Arabic in private schools in Dubai.
In the Indian school curriculum just 21 per cent of schools were rated as ‘good’ or ‘better’, for Arabic as an additional language, by education regulator the Knowledge and Human Development Authority. That rose to 42 and 52 per cent for UK and US curriculums respectively. Among the better results was 73 per cent for Ministry of Education curriculum schools, where many pupils tend to be native Arabic speakers.
Released this week, the tenth annual report titled A Decade of Growth, differentiated between Arabic taught as an additional language and Arabic as a first language; and while both subjects showed improvement over 10 years, the rate was much slower than that of other subjects.
The stark difference became apparent when comparing the rate of improvement in subjects such as mathematics in which 71 per cent of Indian schools received ‘good’ and ‘better’ ratings this year, compared to 43 per cent ten years prior. Some 73 per cent of Indian schools achieved 'good' or 'better' ratings in English and science, up from 42 per cent in 2008 - when the assessment was first carried out by KHDA.
Rashmi Nandkeolyar, principal and director of Delhi Private School in Dubai, said the disparity was down to a lack of motivation from pupils to study the subject.
The school teaches Arabic as an additional language and received a rating of ‘weak’ in middle and secondary school for attainment of goals and an ‘acceptable’ rating for progress. For English, the school earned an ‘outstanding’ through primary, middle and secondary school.
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“Pupils are not using Arabic and thus they don’t see the value of it in their lives. Arabic is not the lingua franca in Dubai and they (pupils) can manage without it,” said Ms Nandkeolyar.
“This has to change because if they want to live here in this region, knowing Arabic is an advantage.”
Pupils are also less inclined to study Arabic because the language is not tested in board exams.
“They do well in French since it’s a board paper and we are motivated by board results,” she said.
In an effort to combat this, the school has introduced Arabic classes to children in kindergarten, though they are not required to do so until Grade 1. Their target is to familiarise children with 100 Arabic words in KG1 and KG2.
Delhi Private School is also now employing the use of cartoons, films, radio shows, events and competitions where pupils are obliged to speak in Arabic. An integrated learning approach is also adopted by inter-connecting Arabic with different subjects.
“These practices have helped the school improve but not at the pace accepted as the bar keeps being moved up,” said Ms Nandkeolyar.
Naomi Williams, headmistress at Foremarke School in Dubai, said the school is making progress, albeit slowly, in Arabic. The school ranked ‘acceptable’ for attainment of goals and ‘good’ for progress.
“Children who don’t speak Arabic as a first language do not use Arabic at all in Dubai. In addition, Arabic is one of the most difficult languages to learn. These factors are coupled with the transitory nature of life in the country,” said Ms Williams.
“We need to raise levels in Arabic and we are focusing on leadership and teaching. Our performance has improved marginally over the years.
“At the teaching level, we drill down a lot closer on the progress,” she said.
The school has employed Arabic teaching assistants to be able to pay closer attention to each pupil’s needs. Foremarke School also has an individual action plan for Arabic underachievers to identify gaps.
“We have a robust tracking and assessment procedure for both Arabic as a first language and for Arabic as an additional language,” she said.
Fatma Belrehif, executive director of Dubai School Inspection Bureau, said: “Individual inspection reports provide each school with detailed recommendations on areas for improvement annually. The inspection process focuses on scrutinising school’s improvement plans and the quality of leadership in driving improvement.”
KHDA also encourages schools to share best practices with each other. Initiatives that facilitate this include ‘What Works’ and ‘Living Arabic’.
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Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
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PRESIDENTS CUP
Draw for Presidents Cup fourball matches on Thursday (Internationals first mention). All times UAE:
02.32am (Thursday): Marc Leishman/Joaquin Niemann v Tiger Woods/Justin Thomas
02.47am (Thursday): Adam Hadwin/Im Sung-jae v Xander Schauffele/Patrick Cantlay
03.02am (Thursday): Adam Scott/An Byeong-hun v Bryson DeChambeau/Tony Finau
03.17am (Thursday): Hideki Matsuyama/CT Pan v Webb Simpson/Patrick Reed
03.32am (Thursday): Abraham Ancer/Louis Oosthuizen v Dustin Johnson/Gary Woodland
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
The%20specs
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The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
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The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
THE%20SWIMMERS
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10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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