Dr Georges Georgi, Iraq office representative of United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), said: “The status of Iraqi youth received much more interest and digging only recently.” “So we don’t have comparative [figures].” Apart from insufficient data from the era of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussain, another reason it was difficult to compare the past and present status of Iraqi youth was the loss of a considerable amount of information shortly after the collapse of the former regime in April 2003.Like all the Arab countries and most third-world nations, a high percentage of the Iraqi population is young: nearly half of Iraq’s 30.7 million population is under the age of 19. But almost all of Iraq’s younger generation was born after the UN imposed sanctions on Iraq in August 1990, which lasted for 13 years. And almost all of Iraqi’s youth witnessed the 2003 war. They have been raised amid violence. The older generation witnessed the previous eight-year Iran-Iraq war and the 1990-second Gulf war.

Today, Iraqi youth are living in a country which is in political chaos. Nearly 300,000 Iraqi youth aged between 10 and 18 have never attended school, a joint survey conducted by United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Iraqi government found.

“While we can’t say whether the present status of Iraqi youth is better or worse than before, we can compare their status with other youths in neighbouring countries, such as Jordan, Syria, Lebanon,” Georgi told Gulf News.

“Then, we will notice that Iraqi youth rank below their counterparts in other Arab countries. Iraqis are not the worst in certain areas, but they are way below others. For example, the percentage of Iraqi youth in elementary and secondary education is worse than in other countries. Only 40 per cent of Iraqi youth continue their secondary education. Sixty per cent of them drop out after the elementary years. The percentage of students at high schools continues to decrease and only 25 per cent are enrolled in high school.”

Researchers said the low percentage of Iraqi youth entering high school was a consequence of the previous regime some 20 years back, when the focus was on building armies rather than educating people.

This explained the disparity in the number of elementary and secondary schools: there are nearly 16,000 elementary schools and just 4,000 secondary schools in Iraq.

“Is this all relative?” Georgi asked. “The bottleneck in the education system is in the big number of elementary schools, which decreases at the secondary level and becomes even less at the higher level.” However, the solution was not just about building more schools in a country which was rich in natural resources, including oil and gas, he said. “It needs a political will,” the UN official said.

Education should be compulsory not only for the first six, but for the first nine years, and there should be efforts to enforce the law. Parents, schools and the wider society should work together to ensure children stayed at school, he said.

Education, experts stressed, was about more than reading and writing. It played an important role in self-development, and in boosting the ability of members of a large proportion of the Iraqi population, to handle social problems on a daily basis.

Georgi refuted the suggestion that the country’s security situation was a reason for the high dropout rate among students.

Georgi said he strongly believed that the main reason young people in Iraq didn’t continue with their education was due to the “weakness” of secondary education in Iraq — where there were too few high schools — coupled with a lack of conviction by parents that their children must be properly educated.

“This phenomenon [drop-out] applies to all Iraq’s governorates, from Dohok [in the north within the Kurdish autonomy] to Basra [in the south] … And the security situation is hot in [only] some parts. Should we take the security situation as the pretext for everything and in all parts of Iraq? This is not possible,” Georgi said.

Fast facts

• Slightly more than 300,000 Iraqis aged 10-18 years have never attended school.
• At the time of conducting the interviews for the survey only half of males aged 19-24 said they had worked in the past week.
• 70 per cent of Iraqi youth participated in the last parliamentary elections in March 2010 and 86 per cent said they would take part in future elections.
• 62 per cent of the youth interviewed believe that a family member can kill a female for dishonouring her family.
• 92 per cent agreed that a woman should seek permission before looking for work.

The fact sheet is based on The Iraq National Youth and Adolescent Survey conducted by the Government of Iraq and UNFPA released in early 2010. The fact sheet is jointly published by the United Nations Population Fund and the UN Inter-Agency Information and Analysis Unit.

© GulfNews

The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MOHESR) prevents universities, accredited under the Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA), from enrolling students from non-accredited branch campuses.

University heads recommend more education sessions for high school students on the matter. A credit transfer system and bridging programmes should also be worked out by the authorities for the benefit of the students who want to further their education in the UAE.

Prof. Rob Whelan, Director of the University of Wollongong in Dubai, an Australian university that is accredited by CAA, said that the students are unaware of the complex higher education scene in the country.

“We recently had an application for entry into one of our master’s programme from a student who was a scholarship recipient when enrolled at a branch campus in Dubai.

But despite having a good result that would entitle him to a scholarship at UOWD too, we had to reject him following the ministry regulations,” Whelan said.

Whelen said the first question rejected students ask is why they weren’t made aware of these rules before they joined the branch campuses. “The Ministry of Education, responsible for high schools in the UAE can, through career counsellors and principals, educate students about the complexity of the education landscape. Parents and students must also take the time to visit the authority’s websites to gather information before making a decision.”

Branch campuses that operate in free zones in the emirate are regulated by the University Quality Assurance International Board (UQAIB) set up by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA). UQAIB is responsible for ensuring the programmes offered at the campus in Dubai provide the same quality and are aligned to those at the parent campus.

At UOWD’s open days, counsellors get queries on the matter highlighting the lack of knowledge among students. “Up to 30 per cent of the students that we talk to during admissions are unable to satisfy our requirements because of not having done the right the first degree to move on to a post graduate level,” the director said.

Around four 4 per cent of the applications were rejected because they had undergraduate degrees from a non-accredited branch campus.

The CAA has a rigorous process for licensing universities and programmes based on 10 standards including academic and institutional leadership, coherence through teaching based on evidence and research and corporate and financial governance with public and social responsibility.

Free zones do not fall under the MOHESR jurisdiction and have been an attractive option for the numerous international universities that set base in the country. They have to be affiliated to the parent campus and follow UQAIB guidelines but do not need to meet the requirements of the federal authority.

UQAIB was set up by the local authority to license universities in free zones and ensure quality standards are met at the branch campuses and is not an accrediting body.

Academics advise that the choice of university and programme must depend on a student’s future path as problems arise when students wish to continue working or studying in an area that might require a nationally accredited qualification.

A non-accredited degree is not attested by the ministry in the UAE. This causes roadblocks for graduates wanting to apply to CAA accredited institutions as well as employment in the public sector and government based organisations as well.

Martin Prince, registrar at the CAA accredited British University in Dubai (BUiD), said this is a challenge that he would like to see tackled together by the federal and local education authorities.

“Young professionals committed to Dubai and the wider region should be given the opportunity to fully legitimise the experience and knowledge skills they gain,” he said. He proposes bridging courses similar to ones that are run by some institutions in the UK to enable holders of non-accredited awards to be eligible for accredited postgraduate programmes.

“Some kind of model like a six weeks intensive course or a summer term could be adapted to have local relevance and currency acceptable within the criteria laid down by the ministry,” he said.

“I think there is little that could be of more value than a meaningful discussion between the ministry and KHDA and the Abu Dhabi Education Council on the matter.”

BUiD is a local university that offers post graduate courses in association with UK universities — Manchester, Cardiff, Birmingham, London and Edinburgh.

Prince said that the university would want to assist the government in developing education policies towards such initiatives.

Whelen suggests a credit transfer between systems. “I think it would be very productive if there is a process whereby CAA identifies and defines what they would approve as a credit transfer from a non-accredited to an accredited university.”

At the Heriot-Watt University in Dubai International Academic City (DIAC), a free zone that houses 32 international institutions, Mark Venables, director of marketing, said they receive 20 per cent students that raise questions about a local accreditation but it has never really affected their student enrollments.

“One of our attractions is that students can transfer to the home campus and many students opt for that in the third or fourth year of their study,” he said.

Students enrolled at the university have a degree that is accredited by the parent campus in UK which lends authenticity to the programmes offered at the Dubai campus.

“Our degree is recognised globally and Dubai’s regulatory authority that licenses us do a good job in ensuring we provide quality courses that are accepted by most organizations,” he said.

The university is expecting enrollments to grow this year and is building a new campus to accommodate the growing number of students who are looking for a UK education.

Venables believes at this point the university is abiding by the local authorities mandates and is not considering a CAA accreditation.

© Khaleej Times

“The political structure of this party was formally created 28 years ago with a focus on education. This is why we decided it was more apt to celebrate this by reviewing our success in the education sector in Taiz, which is the origin of culture in our country,” said Sheikh Jaber Abdullah Ghaleb, head of the GPC in Taiz.

In his opening statement he said that the GPC’s institutional structure places importance on education as a basis for development and on building the Yemeni character and cultural heritage.

The seminar focused on three subjects: mainstream education, vocational and technical education and higher education. Presenters on the topics were members of the GPC and based their papers on comparing statistics from the 80s to those of today.

“The number of schools in Taiz alone has increased to 7,191, receiving 1,653,962 students being taught by 50,004 teachers,” said Prof. Mohammad Taresh in his paper on mainstream education.

On vocational education Mansour Raweh, head of trainers at the Ministry of Technical Education and Vocational Training, said that in Taiz governorate there had been an increase in the number of students in this area to 6,395 pupils in 31 disciplines, an achievement which he credited to the GPC.

Nationwide, technical education and training institutes had witnessed an increase in their number to reach 67 institutes containing 25,098 students.

Prof Sultan Al-Mikhlafi talked about progress in higher education, praising the deliberate actions taken by the ruling party to improve higher education in Yemen in terms of the number of universities and the quality of higher education. Today there are 14 public universities, six of them still under construction. The number of private universities and colleges has reached 32, of which 17 are under implementation, with a total capacity of 253,816 students.

The seminar ended by awarding distinguished educators in all three fields from Taiz governorate, and the GPC congratulating itself on its accomplishments in this sector.

A different reality

However, despite the pat on the back the GPC gave itself, the reality of education in Yemen according to statistics is not so positive. According to a 2007 UN report only 43 percent of girls and 67 percent of boys were enrolled in primary, secondary or tertiary education in the country. In addition, only 35 percent of girls were literate, compared to 73 percent of boys.

Just one day before the seminar celebrating education the Supreme Council for Education Planning issued a report indicating that attaining a basic education in the country is far from successful. The report indicated that about 1.4 million Yemeni children do not attend school and live under the threat of illiteracy, and that around 80 percent of children between the ages of 6 and 14 drop out of school. Almost 75 percent of those who remain at school must repeat classes.

Yet according to the GPC website almotamar.net, Yemen has raised its expenditure on education over all levels to YR 279 billion, which represents 19 percent of the state’s public expenditure. Public education represented YR 202 billion of that total, while higher education and scientific research obtained only YR 55 billion and technical education just over YR 22 billion.

By Nadia Al-Sakkaf

© Yemen Times 2010

Dr. Eli Abi Rached, Director of Eton Institute, commented: “We take having fun very seriously here at Eton Institute because we believe that the more you enjoy the experience, the faster you learn and the higher your success rate. Benjamin Franklin had once famously said “Tell me and I will forget, teach me and I will remember, involve me and I will learn.”. Keeping learners engaged and involved is central to all teaching and we have one single-minded goal, to get you not just speaking but living your new language.”

The Arabic and English Intensive courses at Eton Institute adopt a unique multi-sensory approach to learning. By placing students in a real-life based context and re-enforcing learning every day through engaging activities, the courses ensure that learning is practical and life-long. The Intensive courses are taught in a group setting by highly qualified and experienced native-speaking instructors. With classes being held for 2 hours daily, from Sundays to Thursdays, learners may complete a 30-hour level over the duration of just 3 weeks. The institute also offers free assessment and consultation services for those who are not complete beginners to test their level in the languages and to ensure placement in a class that caters precisely to their level.

The Arabic and English Intensive courses will be conducted from 19 September – 07 October for all levels with the option of morning, afternoon or evening timings. As a special service, the institute will also be offering subsidies of over 55% for learners enrolling for the Arabic beginner 1 level course this September scheduled from 4:00-5:30 PM. These subsidies, offered on a first-come first-serve basis to a limited number of individuals, will allow learners to complete an entire 30-hour beginner’s level course for only AED 600. For more information or to pre-book your place visit www.eton.ac or call 800-Eton (8003866) today to speak with an adviser.

About Eton Institute

Eton Institute is U.A.E’s leading training & development centre offering training in over 100 Languages, Teacher Training, Computer Training, Business Skills Training and customised Corporate Training solutions. It offers flexible timings and uniquely tailored courses to suit the learner’s needs. All training is facilitated by highly qualified and experienced instructors, teaching practical skills while maintaining competitive prices for individuals and businesses.

Strategically located at Dubai Knowledge Village, the Institute offers training both in-house and onsite, leveraging considerable experience in providing solutions that fit an individual or an organisation’s needs.

For additional information please contact:

Moaz Khan

Marketing Manager

Eton Institute

Ph: +971 4 3658483

moaz@eton.ac

www.eton.ac

The Kuwait Science Fair, the largest science competition in Kuwait, today announced that the American University of Kuwait (AUK) will grant the first place winner(s) with the best science project in the competition, a scholarship in their desired field of study.

AUK joins the founders of the competition, ExxonMobil Exploration & Production Kuwait Limited and Kuwait Energy in its effort to empower young students in public and private schools across Kuwait to explore and innovate in the fields of math and science.

The competition, endorsed by the Minister of Oil, Information and Chairman of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, H.E. Sheikh Ahmed Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah, will launch its third consecutive year in October 2010 compelling students to pursue future careers in related professions.

AUK President, Dr. Winfred Thompson said: “We are very pleased to have joined the Kuwait Science Fair competition this year. This competition is one of the only – if not the only – competition that engages all students across the country in an educational experience outside school parameters. We are delighted to take part in the Kuwait Science Fair to support Kuwait’s young minds in their pursuit towards scientific innovation. We look forward to welcoming young winners inside our classrooms.”

The Kuwait Science Fair Managing Director, Ms. Aseel Al-Turkait said: “The American University of Kuwait is one of the most renowned universities in Kuwait, set apart by its science programs such as Computer Science, Computer Engineering, and Information Systems. For that, we extend our deepest gratitude to AUK for providing the first place winner of the Kuwait Science Fair with a full scholarship and an opportunity to continue their education in a reputed university.”

The Kuwait Science Fair competition extends over five months and will be divided into two cycles. The first cycle comprises two months consisting of daily visits by the KSF team to public and private schools in Kuwait and a permanent KSF booth at the Marina Mall to encourage students to take part in the competition and help them present their applications.

In its second cycle, the “Best 100” projects will continue in the competition and will start developing their ideas into experimental projects, which will be showcased to a set of judges and experts.

In its second year ending March 2009, more than 220 students from 46 public and private schools in Kuwait competed in the Kuwait Science Fair. The first place winner received a scholarship in the discipline of her choice from the Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST), in addition to KD750 in cash, as well as an internship at Schlumberger. The winner’s school also received a computer lab from Schlumberger and was admitted into Schlumberger’s Excellence in Educational Development program (SEED), which works to educate students on global issues influencing their future.

AUK is an independent, private, equal opportunity, and co-educational liberal arts institution of higher education. The educational, cultural and administrative structure, methods and standards of AUK are based on the American model of higher learning. AUK and its Ivy League partner Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire (USA) have worked closely together since 2003, when the two institutions signed a Memorandum of Understanding.

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For more information, please contact:

Leslie Mouawad

Bensirri PR

Mob: +965-99981334

Email: leslie@bensirri.com

New York University Abu Dhabi

The 150 students with “astounding talents” were part of “a historic moment in the evolution of higher education”, according to the university’s vice chancellor, Al Bloom, in his inaugural address last night.

This group of 150 was whittled down from applications from 9,000 students around the world – making this diverse first class the cream of the academic crop.

Dr Bloom told the students: “Empowered by these strengths and opportunities, we will build here, together, a great university, actively connected to NYU New York and to its global sites, which will rapidly become a leading centre of world scholarship, of research and artistic advance.”

The university hopes to rival the likes of Harvard, Oxford and Cambridge and aims to help the emirate become a centre for the creation of ideas.

Dr Bloom added: “We will shape here together, an institution whose presence will contribute fundamentally to Abu Dhabi’s emergence as an idea capital of this region, and beyond.”

He told the students, who come from 39 different countries, to be tolerant of those around them and aware of the fusion of cultures the university hopes will make it thrive.

“Listen carefully to others whose backgrounds, cultures and points of view differ from your own. That experience will enrich your repertory of ways through which to think about and relate to the world. That experience will deepen your insight into the sources of difference among us, and that experience will sharpen your recognition of the common needs for security, affection and accomplishment; of the common concerns for inclusion, fairness, opportunity and meaning; of the common underlying structures of thought, language, emotion and humour, upon which you can and will build connections across difference.”

Class sizes at the university launches will be small, on average with a maximum of eight. At the university’s New York campus, some classes can be as big as several hundred.

The students will choose from 19 majors and five multidisciplinary concentrations as well as courses in the core curriculum, electives in other fields and pre-professional tracks.

The majors on offer are some of the first in the emirates and include subjects in the arts and humanities such as music, theatre, film and new media, and philosophy.

The US-based academic Jason Lane recently said in a policy paper for the Dubai School of Government that one of Dubai’s weaknesses at its 53 institutions was the programmes it offered, too many focussing on business, engineering and education.

“Academic programmes in the arts, humanities and social sciences are almost non-existent in the private education sector,” he said.

NYUAD will fill a much-needed void, offering a wide array of subjects across the disciplines.

Other majors include biochemistry, economics and social research and public policy.

Multidisciplinary subjects include environment, urbanisation and the Arab crossroads, which looks at subject areas as diverse as Islamic societies, modern Islamic literature and a subject relevant to Abu Dhabi and the UAE, oil, energy and the Middle East.

Everyone must choose two core courses from each of the four major areas, pathways of world literature, structures of thought and society, art, technology and invention and ideas and methods of science.

The university’s faculty members began work on August 29, ready for the challenge ahead. More than 70 will be passing through the university over the course of this year, with more expected to participate as it grows. Around 25 will be full time in Abu Dhabi with others splitting time between the US and UAE campuses.

Hazel Raja, director of the career development centre, says the students were an inspiration.

Over the next four years the students will be taught to hone skills such as work ethics, they will seek volunteer work and by the time they graduate, be ready to market themselves, she said.

She has been in the capital for six months and said: “When this opportunity presented itself, it was too good not to consider. It’s being a part of a pioneering group of students.”

Shamma al Mazrui is one of the Emirati students at NYUAD. She had considered travelling abroad and had visited universities such as Harvard, but after meeting the “amazing faculty” in Abu Dhabi, she said she wanted to be a part of the NYUAD adventure.

“This is great for Abu Dhabi, it is good for locals to have this here, especially local women who may not be so able to travel. When we all graduate, there will be a very skilled workforce for Abu Dhabi, which it needs.”

The students were also addressed by Cyrus Patell, associate professor of English at NYU New York and associate dean of humanities in Abu Dhabi.

An expert in 19th and 20th century American literature and culture, Prof Patell, a Harvard University graduate, spoke to the students about the concept of “cosmopolitanism”, something entrenched in the ideology of the founders of NYUAD.

“It’s not about closing the differences, but bridging them,” he said yesterday.

“Abu Dhabi is a place that is an emerging global crossroads.”

All incoming students were asked to read Kwame Appiah’s book Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers.

Prof Patell said that they wanted the diverse group of students to think about “the interplay between similarity and difference”.

“Cosmopolitanism is an alternative to universality,” he said.

“Difference is an opportunity to be embraced and we want the kids to think about that.”

Mary Corrado, from Amideast, a non-profit organisation that helps students around the world to travel to the US for study, said that the diverse curriculum will benefit both students and society in Abu Dhabi.

“NYU is making an outstanding effort to bring diversity in curriculum to Abu Dhabi as part of the overall mission of the university to establish a centre for the growth of ideas and cross-cultural communication,” she said.

“The plans to have students travel for hands-on learning experience during their second through fourth years is the kind of programme that has not been offered before in Abu Dhabi.

“This year’s freshmen are embarking on not only a new and unique local education, but also a global experience with all the breadth and depth of resources that NYU has to offer.”

© The National

The new staff include faculty heads, cluster managers and leadership advisors. They will mainly support teachers through daily classroom walkthroughs; providing advice, coaching, and supervision to teachers; and support teachers who are experiencing classroom management issues.

A main focus will be monitoring and assisting teachers in the implementation of ADEC‘s New School Model (NSM).

“ADEC is pleased to have these new faculty leaders join our community of educators in our path to transform Abu Dhabi to a knowledge producing society,” said Dr Mugheer Khamis Al Khaili, the director general at ADEC.

The NSM, set to roll out in KG1, KG2 and grades 1,2 and 3 this year, has been designed to transform the classroom into a student-centred environment.

A key focus of the NSM will be to increase English and Arabic speaking proficiency.

The new staff will be equipped to provide four hours of training a week for all teachers.

On September 13, ADEC will be gathering over 6,000 teachers and administrators in the first Al Bedaya forum that will see the official roll-out of the NSM.

The sessions conclude on September 14 with a Teaching and Learning Academy session taking place in 29 different areas across Abu Dhabi.

© WAM

Al-Ghurair University

The University has opened registration for students interested in undergoing the Foundation Program for the academic year 2010/2011. The one year program covers a number of subjects required by the various specialization courses on offer at the University, including College of business studies, college of Engineering and Applied Science, College of Computing, College of Design (department of interior design).

Commenting on the issue, Professor Dr. Abdurahem Mohammed Al Ameen, President of Al Ghurair University said: “Al-Ghurair University offers the best academic and training programs, which meet the education and career needs and ambitions of students, while meeting the needs of the labor market for qualified human resources.”

He pointed out that the University, which offers Bachelor degree in many specializations, is fully recognized by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the Federation of Arab Universities, as well as by many Arab and foreign countries.

He said Al-Ghurair University offers low-grade students, who scored below 60% in the high school certificate examinations, opportunity to pursue their choice of academic specialization through the Foundation Program. “This is in support of this category of students. It is also to give them a second chance of obtaining university degree in the specialization of their choice through the program, which enables the students to make for what was missing and to prepare them to pursue any specialization of their choice on offer at the University,” he explained.

He said the University is deeply interested in providing academic solutions which help students and meet their needs, adding that this has reflected positively on the number of students attending the university, which continues to receive waves of students of various nationalities, including Emiratis and Arab and foreign expatriates living in the country, as well as others from abroad.

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About Al-Ghurair University:

Al-Ghurair University was set up in 1999 under the sponsorship of Al-Ghurair Group of Companies. The university, which serves the diverse UAE society, in particular and the Gulf societies, in general, soon grew to become one of the leading higher education institutions in the Gulf region. Al-Ghurair University boasts of high quality education through the ideal education environment it offers its students, as well as the quality facilities and incentives, including the flexible timing it offers working students which enables them to pursue higher education at their convenient time, to sharpen their skills and improve their professional performance. It also boasts of a strategic location at the Dubai Academic City and modern library fully equipped with valuable books, references, research works and other equipment, which facilitate academic works and achievements. It also has a mosque, modern restaurants and a big car parking facility that has a capacity of more than 1000 cars.

The university engages in various training and consultancy activities. In 2009, more than 2000 persons benefited from the university’s services in various subjects, including strategy, customer service, creative thinking, legal issues, accountancy, Information Technology, etc.

The University is in strategic partnership with more than 12 government and private institutions to whom it offers scientific services. The university has executed more than 100 training courses for its partners during the 2009/2010 academic year.

For More information please contact:

Lina husri

PR Director at House of Marketing

0552239495

Lina@homadcom.ae

Louiza Al Suwaid

Marketing Manger at Al Ghurair University

Louiza@agu.ac.ae

Students who will be based at the Dubai International Financial Centre joined London EMBA students this week for the opening block week, designed to fully integrate the two student groups, forging connections that will enrich their experience through the programme and beyond.

Comprising 130 highly experienced professionals with an average of 10 years’ work experience, the Dubai and London streams of the EMBA will share two additional modules at the London campus as well as connect through a range of electives, international assignments and events over their 20-month programme.

The change is a result of a recent curriculum review, which resulted in a number of key innovations to the programme, maximising the opportunities to develop global business capabilities and support each students’ personal growth.

Ruth Martel, Programme Director for London Business School‘s EMBA, said: “Welcoming a new class is always exciting but the buzz created by two streams coming together is really special. The new programme structure now provides all our Executive MBAs with greater diversity of learning and internationalises their networks from day one.

“Not only do the Dubai stream benefit from a greater connection with the heart of the our community, our London-based students have an opportunity gain an understanding of business in the Middle East – an increasingly important region in global business.”

Mohammed Alzubi is Director of Technology and Investment at the Dubai Silicon Investment Authority and started the programme in London this week. One of his key objectives is to seed innovation and entrepreneurship in the Middle East.

“A driving force behind doing the London Business School EMBA is the relevance and calibre of individuals engaged in the discussion and, of course, the world-class faculty,” he explained.

“It’s great to know that Dubai students get the same programme as our colleagues in London. Linking with London more closely also means you automatically broaden your network.”

London-based EMBA student, Dohyoung Kim, from South Korea, also sees a benefit in working with the Dubai cohort. He said: “It will be good to get real information about doing business in Dubai, as it’s such a promising region and our class is very interested in this.”

Maitha Alfalasi, an Emirati working as a director at the DIFC, added: “It’s a good opportunity to get to know London-based people from different business cultures, because working in Dubai, with everyone else from the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council), we’re working in the same business environment.”

For Gaurav Malhotra, also based in Dubai, who works in sales and marketing for an international tyre company, the experience is about “a sense of oneness”.

“Being in London with both EMBA streams, you realise the global reach on campus. The programme is about learning from each other and gaining new perspectives,” he said.

“As well as the personal development side, I am looking forward to tapping into the global alumni network at London Business School.”

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About London Business School

London Business School’s purpose is to deliver insights and leaders that have impact. The School is ranked number one in the world for the full-time MBA programme*. In research, the School is ranked top ten and holds the highest average research score of any UK academic institution**.

The School’s faculty, from over 30 countries, is grouped into seven subject areas – Accounting; Economics; Finance; Management Science and Operations; Marketing; Organisational Behaviour; and Strategic and International Management.

Studying at the School provides access to an unmatched diversity of thought. With a presence in four international cities – London, New York, Hong Kong and Dubai – the School is well positioned to equip students from more than 130 countries with the capabilities needed to operate in today’s business environment. Students further benefit from our 30,000 alumni who provide a wealth of knowledge, business experience and worldwide networking opportunities.

The School awards over 1,000 degrees every year, across MBA, Executive MBA, Masters in Finance, Sloan Fellow and PhD programmes and has most recently added Masters in Management to its portfolio. The Executive Education team offers a portfolio of over 30 open programmes as well as custom-designed programmes developed to meet the specific needs of individuals and their organisation. Annually, over 8,000 participants attend executive programmes that are led by many of the world’s leading business thinkers.

www.london.edu

Media Contacts:

Mustafa Al-sheikhly

Account Manager

Four Communications

mustafa.al-sheikhly@fourcommunications.com

“ADEC is pleased to have these new faculty leaders join our community of educators in our path to transform Abu Dhabi to a knowledge producing society,” said HE Dr. Mugheer Khamis Al Khaili, Director General at ADEC.  “ADEC has an important role in delivering the goals our leaders have set out in Abu Dhabi’s 2030 vision that will require a strong and skilled workforce.   It is our goal to see these are met, a goal that we must fulfill together with teachers, faculty heads, principals, parents and the wider community,” added H.E. Dr Al Khaili.

The faculty heads will be placed in KG1, KG2, and Cycle 1 schools with one English native speaker faculty head and one Arabic speaker faculty head in each school.  The main role of the faculty head will be to support teachers by: conducting daily classroom walkthroughs; providing advice, coaching, and supervision to teachers; and supporting teachers who are experiencing classroom management issues. A main focus will be monitoring and assisting teachers in the implementation of ADEC‘s NSM.

“This training has given me insight into the managerial, organizational, and functional role of a faculty head,” said Dr. Linda Andrews, a faculty head in Al Ain.  “The next days will help me further understand the tasks in developing my role as an ADEC faculty head and I look forward to putting that into practice,” she added.

The NSM, set to roll out in KG1, KG2 and grades 1,2 & 3 this year, will transform the class room to a student-centered environment.  Students will be at the center of an active teaching and learning environment supported by schools, families, and the community.  Key focuses of the new school model will be increasing English and Arabic speaking proficiency and transitioning students to become critical and individual thinkers.

“The New School Model is really impressive.  The thought put into the model and the changes that will take place will be great for the kids,” said Laurie Pendelton, Executive Director of Professional Development for Leeds Global Partners.   Leeds Global Partners have been appointed by ADEC to develop and implement professional development programs for school teachers and administrators.

Today’s Teaching and Learning Academy is the first of a set of training programs and presentations focusing on the NSM.  On September 13, ADEC will be gathering over 6,000 teachers and administrators in the first ‘Al Bedaya’ forum that will see the official roll-out of the new school model.  The sessions will conclude on 14 September with a Teaching and Learning Academy session taking place in 29 different areas across the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

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About Abu Dhabi Education Council

In the 10th of September 2005, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of UAE and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, may God protect him, issued Law No. 24 of 2005 on the establishment of Abu Dhabi Education Council under the chairmanship of His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and HH Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Presidential Affairs and Vice-Chairman of the Council.

The objectives for which the Council has been established include two main goals; the first of which is the development of education and educational institutions in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the second goal is to provide technical advice on the development of policies and educational services in the Emirate, according to a vision to improve education in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi to the highest international standards.

For further information about the Abu Dhabi Education Council, please contact the headquarters of the Council:

Tel. +971 (2) 6150 000, or visit our website: www.adec.ac.ae

Mona Al-Khdher, Information Specialist, Tel: +971 (2) 6150 319, e-mail: muna.alkhdher@adec.ac.ae

Alanood Al-Feel, Edelman, Tel: +971 (50) 800 9259, e-mail:alanood.al-feel@edelman.com