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Abu Dhabi /Â WAM
The Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) organised a one-day orientation session for newly hired teachers who will be joining Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Western Region schools for the 2016/2017 academic school year.
Dr Ali Al Nuaimi, ADEC’s Director-General, welcomed more than 600 Emirati, English Medium and Arabic Medium teachers, who will be teaching in different schools across the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
During his welcoming speech, Al Nuaimi gave an overview on some of ADEC’s milestones, projects, activities and accomplishments, while offering an overall synopsis on the education sector across the emirate. “The Abu Dhabi Education Council has embarked on an extremely new reform project aiming to be recognised as a world class education system that supports all learners to reach their full potential and be prepared to meet global challenges,” he said.
He spoke about the Abu Dhabi School Model, which, he explained, is designed to encourage, enhance and develop thinking skills among children in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. “The curriculum focuses on students’ thinking, problem solving and communication skills, and is designed to enhance students’ performance to reach international levels, which is exactly why we require teachers like you, to understand and implement the curriculum in classrooms,” explained Dr. Al Nuaimi.
ADEC’s Director-General added that the body is keen to support existing and new teachers as well as non-teaching staff through providing continuous professional development programmes that enable them to acquire skills and capabilities to apply the latest pedagogies.
“To coincide with the Abu Dhabi Economic vision 2030, ADEC supports the vision through direct contributions to the emirate’s social and human development and the creation of a sustainable, knowledge-based economy in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi,” he added.
Each year, the orientation session helps new teachers gain knowledge about ADEC’s standards and practices as well as identifies their duties and responsibilities in order to ensure a smooth workflow across schools.
Teachers were also given detailed information on their roles as part of the Abu Dhabi School Model, their professional expectations, teacher performance standards, as well as tips on ‘getting started, fitting in and making it work’. They were briefed on the UAE’s national identity alongside cultural norms, values and expectations.
Entitlements such as leaves and allowances, as well as code of conduct and professional support were also amongst the topics discussed during the day-long session.