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Adec ends partnership with 116 foreign operators

The Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) has concluded its partnership with 116 foreign school operators.

Final 65 contracts ended in June this year.

According to Salama Al Amimi, Executive Director of the Adec’s Organisation and Development Excellence, the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) was ceased in order to “capitalise our (Emirati) workforce. We believe they are now ready to take care and manage the schools.”

Speaking to Khaleej Times on the sidelines of the two-day Bedaya (beginning) Forum in the Capital, Al Amimi said the gradual conclusion of the project started with Cycle 1 (Grades 1-5) last year. “The second phase is with Cycle 2 (Grades 6-9) and Cycle 3 (Grades 10-12) this year. The last partnership ended in June,” she said.

The PPP was initiated in 2006 as part of Adec’s strategic initiative to improve education at Abu Dhabi government schools. The project has introduced various world-class teaching strategies that helped improve student skills in English as well as in other areas while promoting national identity, culture and values of students.

Dr Mugheer Khamis Al Khaili, Adec Director-General, said the “mission of knowledge transfer from international to local experience” was now accomplished.

“We have enhanced the level of school principals in line with the requirements, as well as, in the classroom in order to implement the new school model (NSM),” he stated. All principals at the government schools in the emirate are Emiratis.

The PPP, which was instrumental in enhancing teaching and student learning, and boosting school leadership, has laid the foundation for the NSM, which was implemented in KG-Grade 3 in 2010 for the first time.

At the Bedaya Forum, which started on Sunday, Dr Al Khaili stressed that Emiratisation is one of the key focus of the new academic year. He noted that Emiratisation at the council has now reached 45 per cent. “We have (also) trained 20 female students as vice-principals,” he added.

Other key focus areas for 2012-2013 included the educators’ professional development, enhancing communications, organisational efficiency, quality of learning, enhancing students’ extracurricular activities and the rolling out of the NSM to Grade 5.

On the quality of learning, the Adec plans to activate the Irtiqa’a programme or the school self-assessment model and to train principals and teachers on school inspection.

Last year, the Adec started inspection of public schools starting with the 12 school volunteers. The Adec plans to increase that number to 60 and hopes to release the results next year.

For the long-term and based on the “human masterplan”, the council will also look at reducing the subjects being taught at public schools to “focus (only) on subjects that really matter.”

Dr Al Khaili noted that in other countries, students have about six to seven subjects and the rest are elective. “In our system, all are compulsory,” he stated.

olivia@khaleejtimes.com