Job Discussion Forums

[Ed Dueim]

There is a lot of discussion in the policy and decision making circles in UAE education about topics like: how c-rap the public secondary school system remains and how reforming it is a priority but unlikely to happen quickly; following broad international trend leaders are looking at costs...how do we get more efficency and effectiveness out of our higher ed for nationals without having to throw more public cash at it....According to the ECSSR...public spending per head for educating a Gulf national student comes to about 9000 US dollars versus 2000 US dollars per student in "educationally advanced countries". Bottom line is, spending a lot for very little in return. So FOU reform/re-jig is one option being looked at. The complexity, arcane-ness and sheer scary scenario that is public secondary edu in UAE with its labrynth multiplicity of bureaucracy, deep rooted inertia, Emirate level meddling makes the UAE Ed Minister job the proverbial "poisoned chalice" - ministers come and go and I don't remember one who didn't promise to sort out the schools. Good luck to Dr Hanif, a good forward thinking and sensible man...even he is starting to look increasingly weary as he realizes the reality confronting him...remember those nice neat hierarchical diagrams and organizational charts that outline education systems and management structures? Well the UAE public edu system organization chart would be analogous to looking at the contents of my grandfather's old tool box with its 50 year collection of detritus and broken bits and wires and rusty tools all mixed together in a dense crazy mess...yeah, the only way forward with that tool box was to throw it out and buy a new one.

[Sheikh Inal Ovar]

It's a little misleading to compare costs like that .. after all many students here take the same course 2, 3 or 4 times ... and there are some that have been taking the same semester-long course for more than 4 years ...

[Bindair Dundat]

[eha]

'What I'm trying to say is, will Dr. so and so who wrote a thesis on such and such be able to teach English, in a contemporary and constructivist manner, to 25 or so children who have yet to learn the rudimenteries of classroom etiqette? Will they have the classroom management skills?'


I think he was a colleague of mine---- on several occasion, actually. And, no, his thesis on 'Suchandsuch' did not provide him with the classroom management skills to 'teach' 25---30 late adolescents, who had yet to learn the rudiments of classroom etiquette. Mind you, lots of his colleagues, who had been primary school or high school teachers, didn't have those skills either--- maybe because 'classroom etiquette' is actually just another name for good ole 'good manners', and let's face it: no amount of skill or ability or even training, will equip a person to deal with its absence. This stuff goes a lot deeper than superficial questions of 'qualifications', or even experience.

[eha]

Bindeir Dundat wrote:
'......so many who would almost necessarily have to lose their jobs --because they are outrageously incompetent-- in any serious attempt to straighten things out.'


What do you mean, lose their jobs? Look around you: since when has 'outrageous incompetence' disqualified anyone --- at least from 'muddle-management' positions?

[Gnocchiman]

Heard rumors that only 4 people interviewed for positions at UAEU at TESOL Arabia last weekend. Now I see that UAEU is posting on Dave's International Jobs section. I guess this means that we'll be in business for at least another year

[veiledsentiments]

Hey gnocchi... any buzz on how many they need?

only 4 applicants at TA? or only 4 that they felt were qualified?

VS

[Gnocchiman]

The buzz on campus is only 4 were interviewed and something like 20 teachers are needed for next year (40 resigned this year).

Let me just say, despite its uncertain future, a gig at UAEU is still pretty sweet if you can get it (which looks pretty easy at the moment).

[veiledsentiments]

Since they are only replacing half of those leaving, I assume that means that somewhere the program is shrinking.

VS

[Shakhbut]

Does this mean class sizes will be tenfold in size, not the doubling UAEU were hoping for, or is shrinkage in progress, as VS says?

[Gnocchiman]

That's the million dirham question at the moment. My guess is serious shrinkage. That said, I'm sure before they get around to actually collapsing the program, we'll have a year or two of classes bursting at the seams due to a reduced number of teachers (on both campuses). Yes, first shrink the number of teaching staff and then start reducing the number of students. That's my prediction.
Bring it on! I'm ready for it!

[Iamherebecause]

No, they don't just need 20 teachers at UGRU - they hoped to get 20 at TESOL Arabia and then find others elsewhere (TESOL, the usual interviews in Embassies etc)

UGRU weren't the only ones to find pickings a little thin at TESOL Arabia though - I heard that ZU left the job fair early, HCT couldn't find the people they wanted etc.

As for what's going to happen to UGRU? Well, As We All Know, students are getting better - CEPA will be available for Grade 10 to take - so soon UGRU won't be needed so much.

And the Emperor has a wonderful set of new clothes - just look! Awesome!

[holbrook]

Certainly students entry level English abilities are getting better. Over the six years that I have been here I've seen steady improvement. I do know for a fact that UAEU is trying to cut back its foundations program by lifting the entry level bar (CEPA Scores). The problem that no one acknowledges over there is that this wont work.

CEPA Scores have indeed gone up and so they can now fill up there classes with higher scoring students. The problem is that CEPA scores are not reliable. At the HCT the correlation between CEPA scores and Success rates in the Higher Diploma program is only about 30% and is statistically insignificant in predicting success in the Lower Foundations. Add to this the fact that high schools now have better access to CEPA based materials and in fact use it as the final exam for high school English and you can be certain to have far more teaching to the test and perhaps higher-scores despite level abilities.

I know some teacher up in Al Ain that were sent into the high schools to do some teaching. They ended up in rooms with 50 or so students with no control and no administrative support. In the end they accomplished little except to amuse the students. Unless class sizes and the overall structure of command and control in the local schools change their is little hope of a high school based Foundations program making much headway.

That's not to say that it isn't a good idea. It's about time they have started focusing on improving education at earlier levels. Even then they should start with elementary school not high school. They also need this change to occur alongside with fundamental changes in class size, resource allocation and faculty qualification. Just the other night Sheikh Mohamed Bin Rashed was on national TV arguing that the nation's K-12 educational system was failing and the the college level was not the place to start. He argued that Foundations courses have to be taught in the high schools. He was talking about tripling the budget to make it happen. I think he is a man who usually means what he says so maybe things really are about to change.

[Iamherebecause]

I don't know, after the mess-up with all those secondary projects which began (or didn't) at the outset of this academic year, I don't think anyone astute would be in a hurry to throw a load of money at the school system.

In the last couple of months I have heard UGRU is to be disbanded within 10 days, and UGRU is more eternal than the eternal city - and all points in between. I don't believe any of the extreme statements.

However I don't think people would have had the recent Merit Pay if UGRU was truly going to be closed down, as the pay-rise will encourage people to stay on. Well, maybe.