Highly-rated 19-year-old Turkish midfielder Arda Guler scores match-winner on his first La Liga start
sports2 hours ago
The launch of two Early Childhood Development (ECD) programmes by Dubai Cares in Tanzania and Zanzibar could change the face of the country's education system, says Cecilia Baldeh, Chief of Education at the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) - Tanzania.
"The importance of the Dubai Cares grant is that it has actually served as a catalyst to refocus attention on the prioritisation of pre-primary education in Tanzania," Baldeh told Khaleej Times during the official launch of the programmes in Tanzania.
With a target to reach 54,400 direct beneficiaries in four years - with more than 1.6 million indirect beneficiaries expected - Dubai Cares has invested more than Dh26m ($7.2) in the 'Fursa kwa Watoto' (FkW) - Tanzania, and 'Watoto Kwanza' - Zanzibar programmes.
With a severe lack of specialised pre-primary teachers and training courses at Teacher Training Centres in Tanzania and Zanzibar, the current student/teacher ratios are as high as 1:199.
And it is this area which needs the most focus, according to Tariq Al Gurg, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Cares.
“In recent years, the Government of Tanzania has achieved great progress in facilitating access to early education programs for children. Building on such progress, we must turn our attention to the quality of these provisions and tackle challenges such as shortage of qualified pre-primary teachers.”
Initially piloted in 2014, 60 schools in mainland Tanzania were piloted as part of the FkW programme. With this phase now complete and an assessment by the Ministry of Education deeming it "promising", the model will now be rolled out across a further 120 schools.
A final Impact Evaluation is set for 2017.
"The government already has a national educational training policy and within that policy there is an explicit focus on pre-primary education. What we haven't had is a plan for the implementation of a national program for pre-primary education," Baldeh said.
But that is where Dubai Cares steps in.
"Their contribution will help the government develop and generate the evidence base needed for the future development of a nationally scaled up programme."
Pre-primary education in UAE: According to the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), more than 90 per cent of the age appropriate children in Dubai are enrolled in kindergarten, surpassing the attendance rates of many Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. Dedicated Kindergarten schools: 124 (government) 11 (private) Kindergarten classrooms: 1,544 (some within government schools) 5,622 (some within private schools) No: of students: 158,375 (Male - 81,320; Female - 77,055) Source: Ministry of Education 2014/15 |
Participating schools: Pilot school: Aljadidi Nursery School, Zanzibar (ages 3, 4 and 5),20 girls,34 boys,2 teachers Pilot school: Madrasa Al Karim, Zanzibar (ages 4 and 5),43 boys,38 girls,5 teachers Pilot school: Mabungo Primary School, Tanzania (ages 4, 5 and 6),39 girls,43 boys,1 teacher (split sessions - one morning, one afternoon) 2016 roll-out school: Kilai primary school, Tanzania (ages 5 and 6),26 boys,23 girls,1 teacher |
Highly-rated 19-year-old Turkish midfielder Arda Guler scores match-winner on his first La Liga start
sports2 hours ago
The special incentive allows eligible companies to obtain interest-free loans of a maximum of Dh300,000 with a grace period of 6 to 12 months
business3 hours ago
We matchmade people within the same buildings so they could stay safely inside and share resources, Rana Hajirasouli, founder of the company, said
uae3 hours ago
After a gap of nine years, the National side will play in the premier T20 tournament scheduled to be jointly hosted by the UAE and Oman
sports3 hours ago
In March, she had sustained a 'major injury' on her forehead
asia4 hours ago
A Dh2-million map serving as the first printed reference to the holy city of Makkah will also available for purchase
books4 hours ago
The Environment and Natural Reserves Authority urged the public to verify information from official sources
uae5 hours ago
Fire tenders were on the spot and engaged in dousing fire and further details are awaited
asia5 hours ago