SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT - UAE Interact

232 U N I T E D A R A B E M I R AT E S Y E A R B O O K 2 0 0 8• A robust early childhood education strategy.• Quality school infrastructure and curricula.• Accessible pathways to university and technical learning.• Ongoing opportunities for adult education to enable retrainingand access to new skills.Model Schools ProgrammeAbu Dhabi has already embarked on a range of initiatives toachieve its aims. For instance, the model schools pilot programmeseeks to test increased per student expenditure and thereforeinvestment in 23 schools throughout the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.The programme is predicated on matching per student expenditurewith international best practice. Ten schools in Abu Dhabi, ninein Al Ain and four in the Western Region are participating.As part of the recentreforms, new teachersin Abu Dhabigovernment schoolswill be required toattend a universitylevelteacher trainingcourse, as well asholding a Bachelor’sdegree and having anacceptable level ofproficiency in theEnglish language.Public-private PartnershipsConsistent with government restructuring that seeks to decrease itsrole as a service provider in favour of a strengthened private sector,ADEC has commenced a ‘Public-Private Partnership for PublicSchool Management’ pilot project (PPP), with four internationalprivate school providers now operating 30 schools in the emirate.The three-year pilot project is being assessed for student, teacher,and school performance improvements.The success of the pilot will inform future policy decisions onthe expanded participation of private providers in the delivery ofpublic schooling on behalf of the government. It will also assessthe value of various initiatives under trial in individual schools.Early indications of improved educational outcomes meant thatthe pilot programme was expanded to another 30 schools fromSeptember 2007. Whereas the first 30 pilot schools cover gradesK to five, the second wave of PPP schools will cater for gradessix to nine.New Curriculum DevelopmentFollowing a formal review of the schools curriculum, newcurriculum standards have been adopted by ADEC. Already thesestandards have been rolled out into PPP and model schools for