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More Funding for UAE Tertiary Insitutions

 
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George R Stewart



Joined: 13 Mar 2008
Posts: 19

PostPosted: Fri May 09, 2008 5:28 am    Post subject: More Funding for UAE Tertiary Insitutions Reply with quote

http://www.thenational.ae/article/20080508/NATIONAL/396947911/1040&profile=1040
Phew!
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sowsan



Joined: 27 Apr 2008
Posts: 16
Location: Island Paradise

PostPosted: Fri May 09, 2008 8:06 am    Post subject: don't you believe it Reply with quote

At the Higher Colleges of Technology at least, funding has always been allocated according to student enrollment, but this might be after the funding has been provided by the Federal National Council. Supposedly, students in Higher Diploma are funded more than students in Diploma. At one college, this has resulted in stuffing the Higher Diploma Foundations program with students who are incapable of making the grade (passing the HD Foundations Key Course Assessment) at the end of the year and therefore subsequently being rotated into Diploma, Semester 2, where they eventually pull up the exit benchmark pass rates 2 and 1/2 years down the line. It has also partially contributed to the fact that one college has been caught out as being 50% overstaffed in the HD English Department. A couple of years ago, it was being said by employees at HCT that ZU was better funded per student than HCT, and that's why their students were (are!) better than theirs.
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bje



Joined: 19 Jun 2005
Posts: 527

PostPosted: Fri May 09, 2008 8:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've also heard the above- it must be a stressful situation for students and teachers concerned. Did the same college that was overloading HD classes get 'caught out' with far too many HD English teachers?
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saluki



Joined: 08 May 2007
Posts: 30

PostPosted: Fri May 09, 2008 9:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
A couple of years ago, it was being said by employees at HCT that ZU was better funded per student than HCT, and that's why their students were (are!) better than theirs.


Sounds like a case of sour grapes for some reason?! ZU is a university and HCT a college - that's why the students are better. They have to achieve a higher grade to get into ZU and rightly so. The HCT accepts students who do not have any spoken English and are achieving lower and lower CEPA grades every year - does anybody really expect that the students will be up to the level of those at ZU?

My main concern about the 'funding per student' issue is that in the future, educational institutions may not be so strict on enforcing passing levels so they can keep the funding and therefore faculty will be expected to produce more and more from students who just don't have the ability. A 'bums on seats' system. I can see the institutions with lower level students losing even more integrity with staff and local business than they have been doing in the past couple of years.
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veiledsentiments



Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA

PostPosted: Fri May 09, 2008 3:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The article sounds positive, but it is easy to be jaded about what they say versus what actually happens. It would be nice if the focus could be on the students rather than the ongoing competition between HCT/ZU/UAEU as to who gets what students... and who is "better." It is not as though the colleges themselves get to decide which students with which grades get in. The Ministry decides that... again often with little thought as to student needs.

What upsets me most about this discussion... and Sheikh Nahyan's comments were spot on as far as teacher salaries and budgetary restraints put on them from above the Ministry... is that this whole discussion made sense when oil was selling at $10 a barrel. (and it was going on then too) But, oil is selling today at $120 a barrel. Even the lowered value of the dollar does not explain their parsimony as to education... it is about priorities.

Showpiece construction projects trump education every time...

VS
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uaeobserver



Joined: 05 Feb 2007
Posts: 236

PostPosted: Sat May 10, 2008 9:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

So a funding system for the three federal institutions is announced --- and the article features a wonderful photo of the University in Sharjah ---- a non-federal institution.
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Iamherebecause



Joined: 07 Mar 2006
Posts: 427
Location: . . . such quantities of sand . . .

PostPosted: Sat May 10, 2008 5:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Indeed, in fact I believe it's the American University of Sharjah - so not only is it not federal, but it's private, and has a mixed campus. Couln't be more typical of higher education in the UAE!!
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sowsan



Joined: 27 Apr 2008
Posts: 16
Location: Island Paradise

PostPosted: Mon May 12, 2008 6:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

And the new Abu Dhabi-based newspaper "The National" touts itself as "the newspaper that tells the truth." I love it! They could have at least put "photo for illustrative purposes only" ala Gulf News...Welcome to Abu Dhabi! Love it or leave it! Smile
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like2answer



Joined: 21 Sep 2006
Posts: 154

PostPosted: Mon May 12, 2008 6:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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Last edited by like2answer on Fri Jun 06, 2008 11:28 am; edited 1 time in total
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sowsan



Joined: 27 Apr 2008
Posts: 16
Location: Island Paradise

PostPosted: Fri May 16, 2008 8:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
because HD was 15 hours and DF was only 10. Now both are 15 and are funded equally.


Your sell by date is showing Wink ; it's been 8 and 12 in D and HD since the last round of economising 6 years ago. DF and HDF now have equal contact hours, 25, I think, including math and computers, in the first year.

Doesn't even begin to explore the question of why students who test in lower, are lower placed, who come from less advantageous SES backgrounds are funded less. I guess if the poor blokes worked hard enough they could pull themselves up by their bootstraps.
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like2answer



Joined: 21 Sep 2006
Posts: 154

PostPosted: Fri May 16, 2008 3:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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Last edited by like2answer on Fri Jun 06, 2008 11:27 am; edited 1 time in total
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sowsan



Joined: 27 Apr 2008
Posts: 16
Location: Island Paradise

PostPosted: Sun May 18, 2008 3:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sorry to be pedantic, but in Diploma and Higher Diploma it was never 10 hours and 15 hours of English. It used to be 10 periods of 45 minutes=7.5 hours and 15 periods of 45 minutes=11.25 hours and now it is 8 hours of 55 minutes=7.3 hours and 12 periods of 55 minutes=11 hours. Please forgive me if I made a mistake as I am mathematically challenged. Smile

Are Diploma students funded less than Higher Diploma students? I've heard that rumour. And it certainly seems to be true based on decisions made at some of the campuses and the luxurious surroundings provided for some of the programs of study at some of the campuses.

Bootstraps, maybe not, but heel straps definitely.
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like2answer



Joined: 21 Sep 2006
Posts: 154

PostPosted: Mon May 19, 2008 2:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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