The National Curriculum Committee the introduction of an Arabic equivalent of TOEFL in all public and private schools in the country from the next academic year.
The committee meeting, chaired by the Minister of Education, Dr Hanif Hassan, also plans to further develop Islamic studies, national identity studies and the Arabic language in all schools.
Announcing the ministry’s initiatives, Dr Hassan emphasised that curriculum development was one of the main concerns. The committee members said the Arabic equivalent of TOEFL will be accredited as per the international standards. The age and education standards of the candidates would be taken into consideration.
Dr Mohammad Al Hannash of Dubai Education Establishment, who gave an overview of the examination, noted that it would target students in the public and private schools from different social categories, with an emphasis on Arabic language as a means of communication with others.
The Dubai Education Establishment will concentrate on inculcating the importance of national identity in students from the different social categories with a focus on the UAE’s and the Gulf’s social and cultural beliefs, while strengthening the use of Arabic language. The programme hopes to achieve an important transition in the educational field, besides developing the performance of Arabic language teachers. The programme aims at bringing together the different expatriate categories within the UAE. Dr Hassan said, “Having young, talented and qualified nationals cannot be achieved without providing an effective and positive education that fulfils the requirements of the labor market.” The new Islamic Studies curriculum will be a mix of modern trends and the right image of Islam.
