SCHOOL LEADERSHIP PATTERNS AND STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT IN GOVERNMENT SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES.
A rapid rise in UAE’s population has led to a considerable investment in education of the country. UAE offers a comprehensive education to all male and female students from kindergarten to university, with free education for the country’s citizens at all levels. Much improvement has been seen since the early 1970’s and the efforts continue to improve education and the role of the government in education.
“Ninety-five per cent of all females and 80 per cent of all males who are enrolled in the final year of secondary school apply for admission to a higher education institution in the UAE or study abroad. Nationals can attend government tertiary-level institutions free of charge, and a wide and rapidly increasing range of private institutions, many with international accreditation, supplement the public sector. The Al Ain-based United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) continues to be the country’s flagship national institution of higher education, whilst newer institutions such as Zayed University (ZU), which has campuses in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, were established in 1998 by the Federal Government to educate national women and prepare them to actively participate in society. The Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT), on the other hand, offer a more technically oriented education in 12 well-equipped colleges spread throughout the United Arab Emirates. HCT, in conjunction with its commercial arm, the Centre, prides itself on responding quickly and effectively to current needs in the regional and international workplace.
Notable private institutions include the American Universities of Sharjah and Dubai, Sharjah University and the Ajman University of Science and Technology. Recent entrants to the educational marketplace include Abu Dhabi University, Al Hosn University in Abu Dhabi and an Abu. Dubai is also setting-up a 2.33-million-square-metre, multi-university complex, Dubai Knowledge Universities (DKU), in the heart of its ‘Academic City’. The UAE also has several vocational and technical educational centers for those seeking practical training in their chosen careers. (Education. http://www.uaeinteract.com/education/ , retrieved 5 April, 2011.)”
“Schools in the United Arab Emirates follow the national curriculum and science
Teaching starts in the first grade and concentrates primarily on animal behavior.
Chemistry and physics are taught as separate subjects in grade 10. Then, in grade
11, students have to choose either a science or arts track. The curriculum of
Students majoring in science include mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology,
and geology. In contrast, the arts curriculum includes geography, history, and
social science.
The common teaching practice in both divisions is the traditional method, the
lecture. The teacher lectures on a topic on the day appointed by the curriculum
time-table. Most of the time the lecture is not supplemented by any other teaching
methods. The high achievers in the class are the ones who have the ability to
memorize the content material. One of the disciplines that suffers as a result of
using the lecture method is science. In science, the two strong qualities that each
student must have in order to be successful are an understanding of the subject
matter and a good command of the scientific method or process. Even if the
content can be covered through lecture, the process cannot.
Officials in the Ministry of Education are aware of this situation. Their desires
to change the science programme so as to make UAE students more active is
reflected in the visionary plan for 2020. Two very important goals, which related
to the teaching of science, had been stated. The fourteenth and sixteenth goals of
the vision emphasized the need for science teachers to implement teaching
methods which enhance students’ creativity. In addition, teachers were encouraged to move from the traditional teaching which focus on rote learning to a
teaching that enhances meaningful learning. The 2020 vision wants students to
be active learners who can solve project problems, work in teams to achieve common goals, communicate, share, and exchange ideas with others. All of these goals
require a teacher to be a facilitator or coach not a transmitter of information.
(The effectiveness of student team-achievement division (STAD) for teaching high school chemistry in the United Arab Emirate. http://ipac.kacst.edu.sa/eDoc/2006/161313_1.pdf , retrieved 5 April, 2011. 605 & 622.)”
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