Job Discussion Forums

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

In spite of the fact that some feel that those not in residence should have no interest... I am curious about what steps have been made within the system to actually do this.

Is the only thing so far this secondary school program that has been discussed here? The one which every teacher in it advises everyone to avoid? The one where there has been much talk of ZU and HCT getting into the pre-university training? Have they?

Has anything else actually been done? I haven't heard of anything YET that suggests that the level of these students is going to miraculously do away with Foundations in the near future. Though the years there have been various plans to do away with URGU. In fact, the CERT program with HCT was developed in the mid-90's specifically to cut the population of UGRU students.

I can't see Foundations programs completely disappearing, but a program that cuts the size looks like a good idea... but does anyone here know how far implementation has actually gone? Has a new program of teaching Academic English been made a part of this program? That has been the big lack historically... basic general English is pretty much all that has been taught in the past. And the majority of time in Foundations has been in teaching them to read and write beyond a simple elementary level. They really need a true bi-lingual program from the early grades. Is that part of the new program? I can't see a bit of teacher mentoring fixing everything... which is pretty much all that has been mentioned here.

Personally I also have a secondary education degree but they would have had to double my pay (at least) to get me to move down from the university level... Laughing

VS

knoxso · Joined: 07 Jan 2007 Posts: 19

My God VS, not wishing to cast any form of slander, but how the hell did you get to become so detatched. Get a half way decent grip, would ya?

bje · Joined: 19 Jun 2005 Posts: 527

WD40 · Joined: 14 Jan 2007 Posts: 104

Why have a foundation program when the high school will bring the students up to the same level of profieciency two years earlier at a lower cost. Most faculty I know who have an MA don't usually have any 'teaching' creditials and would therefore be 'surpus' unless they trained 'how to teach'. Foundation programs are a huge financial burden on many institutions and yet they don't have a significant impact on students. So the question remains - are foundation courses needed if you can do the same in a High school with properly trained teachers who would be on a lower salary with fewer or reduced benefits because you DON'T need an MA and therefore don't need to pay higher salaries. High school salaries start around 8,000.

There are many people in the world you would jump at the chance. In a recent Gulf News article - workers in Dubai went on strike for a 2 Dirham per day pay rise. The employer did not want to pay them as this would have raised their daily pay to 26 Dirhams per day - they work a 12 hour day, 6 days a week and live in labour camps. (600 dirhams a month).

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

jobrown · Joined: 16 Jun 2006 Posts: 6

Hello,

I work at Dubai Women's College and at our last GSM on Wednesday Dr Howard Reed announced that he's heading a sterring committee to start up a Foundations High School Program. This will replace the current HCT Foundations program. 'They' (not sure who they are) want this to start in September. Realistically that's probably not going to happen.
But change IS in the air.

As an aside most faculty would leave rather than go and teach high-school.

Jo.

Stephen Jones · Joined: 21 Feb 2003 Posts: 4124

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

globalnomad2 · Joined: 23 Jul 2005 Posts: 562

see below

globalnomad2 · Joined: 23 Jul 2005 Posts: 562

Manny2 · Joined: 16 Mar 2006 Posts: 143

So those nervous foundations teachers at the HCT can join their foundation colleagues at the PI where it was announced at the general faculty meeting a week ago that they too are setting up not one but two high schools - due to open Sept 08.

Sheikh Inal Ovar · Joined: 04 Dec 2005 Posts: 1208 Location: Melo Drama School

I hear at the recent semester luncheon, apparently eventful for other reasons, UGRU staff were informed that UGRU would almost certainly exist next year, quite probably exist the year after that, and quite possibly the year after that ...

... beyond that, however, they were not willing to hazard a guess ...

Candid Kandura · Joined: 03 Dec 2006 Posts: 10 Location: EUROPE

I worked on those HCT Foundation programmes several years back, and it probably represented the lowest point of my teaching career. Aside from the fact that my students were mostly boss-eyed inbreds from the villages, the programme was notable for its complete inability to teach simple Maths and 'Business" (laugh!!) to these slow-witted desert-dogs.

My point is this: why were they trying to teach them a subject that they could barely grasp in a language they did not understand?? It was a complete waste of time and money, and a waste of time the teacher even being there. It would have been far better to try and teach the 'tricky' stuff like Maths in the local language, and just use English for, well, English and Computing, say.

Actually, it would have been much cheaper to just give the 'students' a text book and tell them to come back in six months to do the exam. You would have got the same level of fails and passes. The quantity and level of the material that was taught over 20 weeks each semester a normal Western kid could have done in a month!

007 · Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 10:24 pm Post subject: Re: Foundations

WD40 · Joined: 14 Jan 2007 Posts: 104

The UAE has invested far too much in English Medium Universities and Institutes that require English as the language of study. The problem with many foundation courses is their placement testing and their exit requirements. Many places allow students to enter undergraduate or freshmen studies with 500 TOEFL or a 5.0 on IELTS. Surely then everything is dumbed down. Most places now regard science and Math as being equally important to pass as English so should the foundation programs reflect the needs of these subjects or those of economics and business or humanities if the university is a business orientated one. English is given a very high profile which diminishes the importance of the content subjects which need to be taught in English as they are the backbone of the degree programs. English it appears is merely a 'service' to the other more important subjects!