Job Discussion Forums

[TheMagician]

Any action on the Vice Presidents brain storming session?

[nomad soul]

VPs from where?

[TheMagician]

http://www.thenational.ae/uae/education/uae-cabinet-announces-education-revolution

Is this imminent or at some point in the future?

[veiledsentiments]

Who knows? Likely not even them. They have wanted for years to get rid of the Foundation year, but reality keeps slapping them in the face. As long as the schools don't prepare the students, the university has to do it. Abu Dhabi has been slowly trying to implement a new school program with this goal in mind, but I don't think any of the universities have felt the effect yet.

I don't see how they can get rid of TEFL unless they start teaching in Arabic rather than English.

VS

[2buckets]

More likely better to teach in Tagolog, or some other housemaid language as many students are more fluent in those than in Arabic.

[nomad soul]

FNC to debate scrapping of English foundation courses at UAE universities
By Ola Salem, The National | January 6, 2014
Source: http://www.thenational.ae/uae/government/fnc-to-debate-scrapping-of-english-foundation-courses-at-uae-universities
(Edited to cut out unrelated subtopics)

ABU DHABI--The decision to abolish the English-language preparatory year for new students at the three state universities is to be raised at the Federal National Council. The foundation course has been in place for decades to help students who would otherwise struggle with degree courses taught in English. However, it is a serious drain on financial resources at United Arab Emirates University, Zayed University and the Higher Colleges of Technology, diverting funds from other areas, and the Cabinet decided last month that it should be scrapped.

Now the Minister of Higher Education, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mubarak, is to be asked when that decision is likely to be implemented. “I have wanted to ask the Cabinet to remove this foundation year at universities since last June, but the question has since been delayed till now,” said Ali Al Nuaimi (Ajman). “Now that the Cabinet has decided to waive it, I want to know what the ministry plans to do, and for them to give us a timeframe of when it will be scrapped.” He said for too long students have had to suffer through a limbo year when they were neither school pupils nor studying towards their degrees, and universities have had to bear the cost.

The public session will be held in Abu Dhabi at the FNC headquarters, starting from 9am.

(End of article)

[veiledsentiments]

Rather telling that they totally ignore the elephant in the room. It isn't a year of "limbo" - it is a year getting their skills up to the level that is needed. And, of course, we all know that it doesn't even do that as one year isn't enough for 90% of the foundations students. They really need 2 or often 3 years.

Either they dumb down their university to pidgin English using crib notes and rote memorization, switch all majors to Arabic, or keep the Foundations programs and even expand them.

Another option is to only allow students into the universities that can pass IELTS or TOEFL (or an equivalent level exam written for this market) including the essay writing portion... especially the essay writing portion.

VS

[MuscatGary]