Job Discussion Forums

[nowasta]

Here is another article on a new initiative that may or may not affect future job prospects for many in the UAE.

http://www.thenational.ae/article/20090209/NATIONAL/394522940/1041

[Zoot]

Dr Hanif has the habit of assuming Emirati students and teachers work. They don't and until the handouts stop and they're forced to realize money isn't going to keep coming up out of the ground forever, things will always be and they've been for too long now. The article's author quoted on behalf of a spokeswoman, �I think we always get back to the issue of quality; quality teachers and curriculum. I think teaching English from the start of primary to the end of secondary school would be vital and beneficial if it was taught correctly.� How true! And 'quality' isn't going to come from ME or Emirati teachers. Until these teachers sit in as students on lessons given in the local schools rather than being led to believe they're in control of everything and everyone, nothing much is going to change in the shorter-term. Large numbers of English speaking teachers have come and gone from this country, huge amounts of money continues to be wasted and little or no progress has been made. The education standard ME teachers have had is also well below what is needed to offer high-standard English lessons. Until Dr Hanif realizes where the problems lie, he'll go on throwing dead money after dead money. Emirati and ME teachers need to be brought to the realization theirs is not an ethical system, exams aren't an indication of how much a student knows or can do and there are consequences for irresponsibility in the schools.

[BrownSauce]

Hi (former) inmates!

Frank Wright here - which is a "nom de plume", naturally!

Yes, I wrote that article several months ago, just before I left the UAE for harsher climes. So don't bother going on a man(or woman)-hunt! It also explains why more recent UAE developments in curriculum reshaping were not mentioned.

The comments about "local customs" were actually taken from an article in The National last year, and were directed at private local colleges and universities. Unfortunately, the article suffered a touch of extreme editing, and the previous references to local (and foreign) educational institutes got sacrificed on the altar of brevity.

I do hope you have all (650+ so far) enjoyed reading it. Send me a PM if you have anything to add - I might do a follow-up article one day!

[veiledsentiments]

[crocus]

Without going and checking it, I got the impression that this was to be a 14-week, 5 hours each Saturday course for Year 12 students. They are due to finish the week before they do their final school exams.

[nowasta]

[veiledsentiments]

So, they will learn in 14 weeks what they haven't been able to learn in two full semesters...

right...

Another of those ideas where not one actual language teacher has been consulted... who could have told them that languages are not learned in cram courses...