MoE plan will send staff to master's courses

The ministry of education has signed a memorandum that will lead to several staff members taking master's degrees.

The first master's candidates from the ministry could enrol when the new academic year begins in October.

A new wide-ranging agreement aims to improve the qualifications and skills of staff at the Ministry of Education. The ministry has signed a memorandum of understanding that will lead to several staff members taking master's degrees at the British University in Dubai (BUiD). On a broader level, the memorandum is likely to see the university develop procedures for staff development across the ministry.

Dr Hanif Hassan, the Minister of Education, and Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed, the chancellor of the British University in Dubai and the chairman and chief executive of the Emirates Group, signed the memorandum yesterday at Dubai International Airport. Dr Abdullah al Shamsi, the vice chancellor of the BUiD, said studying at the university would "help people with their duties" at the ministry. "People will come out of the programme with better knowledge and better qualified for the tasks they are given," he said.

The master's in education courses will cover areas such as special-needs education and English-language teaching. The university has agreed to provide scholarships for up to five ministry staff each year. The memorandum would lead to collaborations between the ministry and the university that extended beyond the master's degrees, said Dr Shamsi. "We will be dealing with research topics and developing a long-term relationship."

Dr Hassan said the ministry was keen to co-operate with universities that offered "modern and accredited" academic programmes that improved the professional skills of staff. The first master's candidates from the ministry could enrol when the new academic year begins in October. The BUiD's master's in education programme is run in association with the University of Birmingham. The university also has partnerships with the University of Edinburgh, the University of Manchester, Cardiff University and City University, London.