Problems facing curriculum advancement in the UAE
Article title
Farah, S. & Ridge, N. (2009). Challenges to curriculum development in the UAE. Dubai School of Government POLICY BRIEF.
Article summary
The article mainly talks about the curriculum in the UAE and the challenges it faces. The curriculum entails aspects to do with classroom activities. It can be broken down into three: the intended curriculum, implemented curriculum, and attained curriculum. The intended curriculum entails any documents provided by the Ministry or any education body on what should be taught in schools. The implemented curriculum involves what happens in the classroom, how the teacher delivers the content, the resources used, and the time coverage of a topic. The attained curriculum is what the students grasp and learn in class. In 1972, a central authority of education was established: the Ministry of Education (MOE). MOE’s primary three responsibilities are the provision of the current curriculum, the evaluation of textbooks every five years, and plans and oversee the examination. Students’ materials such as textbooks for English, Math, and Science have been introduced for a chane in the curriculum. The materials will help students and make changes in how the subjects are taught and comprehended. Other faculties that impact curriculum development are the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MOHESR) and the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC). In 2007, MOHESR introduced a common proficiency exam for English, later Math and Arabic. This assessment showed which students would be required to take more time to improve their skills in the various subjects to join universities. On the other hand, ADEC also came up with a new curriculum based on outcomes instead of textbooks. The aim was to improve English skills such that one or more years is not wasted improving these skills. Their main focus was on developing a curriculum that emphasizes problem-solving skills and critical thinking and no cramming. Some of the challenges faced by the curriculum are changing teachers’ attitudes, increase in what the curriculum entails, the assessment methods used, overdependence of foreign experts to make decisions.
Critiques of the article
The authors have explained vividly about the UAE curriculum. They introduced how the curriculum was developed and how it was later. The curriculum has some problems, and the authors have stated the challenges without concealing anything. For instance, the UAE curriculum depends on student materials to impact the students, and a lack of reforms on the assessment method has pulled the teachers behind.
According to Pennington (2017), some of the problems facing the curriculum are how to change the mindset of teachers, less curriculum content, how students are assessed, and the exclusion of the locals in making reforms. In addition, high school students were to enroll through a foundation year to gain skills to join university (UAE, 2017). The English language was also introduced as a medium of instruction in some schools. ADEC understood the importance of English proficiency, math and science are currently being taught in English (Dorsey, 2018). According to research conducted in UAE by O’Sullivan (2003), teachers complained about the restrictive nature of textbooks. The teacher is restricted to teach what is in the syllabus.
The article’s content is relevant to various audiences, and one can learn a lot from it. The students, teachers, education reformers can benefit from the information. For example, the reader can comprehend how the curriculum was back then and how it became later in UAE. The challenges faced by the curriculum and the main people involved in the Education sector. I agree that the current curriculum limits the teacher since he/she is only required to do what is in the syllabus to impart knowledge. The teacher is given guidelines or rules to do certain things and is limited to the specific content, and sometimes there are no real-life experiences in the textbook. Sometimes there is no relation between the textbook content and the outside life. I also agree that students should be taught and tested on ways to think and improve their problem-solving skills in new situations. When the student is taught and tested, the teacher can know how far he is on teaching certain aspects, and the students can apply the skills in real-life situations.
Conclusion
The curriculum in UAE comprises of the implemented, attained, and intended curriculum. The primary three responsibilities of MOE are provision of current curriculum, it is also in charge of the evaluation of textbooks every five years, and it plans and oversees the examination. Other faculties that have an impact on curriculum development are the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MOHESR) and the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC). Additionally, the author covered the topic well, and the various audience can read the information. The information provided was also supported by some other writers showing the credibility of the content.
Recommendations
The article was relevant according to the topic, but for a reliable study, research should be conducted to get the facts concerning the topic. A research that will involve people from the education sector, such as teachers, officials of the Ministry of Education, and the students, will be more beneficial. The participants will provide legit information, and it can be reliable.
References
Pennington, R. (2017). Issues ”still to be addressed” in public school curriculum reform. The National. Retrieved on 3/7/2020, from: https://www.thenational.ae/uae/issues-still-to-be-addressed-in-public-school-curriculum-reform-1.71314
UAE. (2017). Education as a national priority. Retrieved on 3//7/2020, from: https://u.ae/en/about-the-uae/leaving-no-one-behind/4qualityeducation
Dorsey, C. (2018). The role of English in the United Arab Emirate and Resulting implications for English teaching. ResearchGate. Retrieved on 5/7/2020, from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323003395_The_Role_of_English_in_the_United_Arab_Emirates_and_Resulting_Implications_for_English_Teaching
O’Sullivan, M. C. (2003). Needs assessment and the critical implications of a rigid textbook/ Syllabus for In-service Education and training for primary English teachers in the United ARAB Emirates. Teacher Development 7(3), 437-456.