UAE: New school model offering free education announced

A new school model that will offer education for free has been announced in the UAE. Taking to Twitter, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, said the ‘Ajyal (generation) Schools’ model will target around 14,000 students.

The new model for government schools will be implemented from academic year 2022-23 in partnership with the private sector.

It will be applied to all students from grade one to four in 10 schools under the supervision of the Emirates Schools Establishment. The establishment aims to expand the number of schools implementing the model to 28 within three years.

Sarah bint Yousif Al Amiri, Minister of State for Public Education and Advanced Technology, said the government will bear “students’ fees and all operating expenses”.

The model adopts advanced learning outcomes that combine the best of national and international curricula. The national curricula will include the Arabic language, Islamic education, moral education and social studies, while the international one will include mathematics, science and others.

The Ministry of Education will continue providing and supervising the national curricula for the third and fourth grades. These will be taught by Emirati teachers to enhance national identity and societal values.

The model aims to give Emirati students enrolled in government schools an “advanced and innovative educational experience”, according to Al Amiri.

She said the Emirates Schools Establishment will follow up on the implementation of the new model. Taaleem, Aldar Education and Bloom Education will be managing Ajyal Schools as operators and providers of educational services in the private sector.

Parental contracts

Al Amiri revealed that ‘partnership contracts’ will be signed with parents within the new schools. This will help build “greater cooperation” between families and schools in evaluating the educational level of students.

The new education model will be based on students, teachers and parents “as three main factors that will play a fundamental role in providing support and making all education projects in the country a success".

The Emirates Schools Establishment has selected a group of schools in various regions of the country in the first year of the project. It will be operated and managed by educational service providers who have “long experience in the field of international curricula in the country”.

Advanced education models

Al Amiri said the new project will positively impact the educational system in the country. It will enhance the quality of education, the efficiency of teachers, and the skills and capabilities of students.

“The application of this advanced educational model comes in line with the UAE’s vision to enhance the quality of education,” the minister said.

The project is one of many that aim to provide better options to parents and students. “The Ajyal Schools project reflects the great importance that the UAE attaches to the education sector. This project comes as part of our plans to develop the educational system in the country, provide more options, opportunities, and educational models for our students, and qualify a leading generation capable of creating the future.”

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