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ABU DHABI/WAM
H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the Education and Human Resources Council, in the presence of H.H. Sheikha Mariam bint Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairperson of the Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation and Vice President of the Education and Human Resources Council, presided over the council meeting held via video conferencing.
The meeting’s agenda included approving the results of the 2023-2024 academic year and discussing development plans aimed at enhancing student performance and elevating the quality of education, positioning it as a hub for academic excellence.
Sheikh Abdullah began by congratulating students, parents, educators, educational leaders, and Council members on the successful completion of the academic year. He specifically praised the outstanding students who excelled through their hard work and dedication, commending the significant efforts of the parents of these exceptional students and encouraged continued perseverance in the upcoming academic year to maintain and achieve high standards.
He acknowledged the vital role of parents and educators in supporting, encouraging, and motivating students throughout the academic year.
Sheikh Abdullah added, “Our journey of development and improvement is ongoing. We will continue to address the challenges we face to elevate the education sector to the highest standards. The end of the academic year provides us with a valuable opportunity to identify these challenges, review our performance metrics, refine our plans, and align our strategies to achieve our goals and fulfil our aspirations.”
H.H. Sheikha Maryam congratulated the students, graduates, parents and teachers on the successful completion of the learning process for the academic year. She also directed her congratulations to the students who made good progress and reaped the fruits of their efforts at the end of this academic year, praising the impact of parents’ interest and partnership on their children’s excellence.
Sheikha Maryam also thanked the teachers, school leaders, and all those working in the educational field for the efforts made to support students and motivate them to reach their academic goals.
Her Highness said, “I would like everyone to benefit from the experiences and challenges they faced during the year, and to think positively, while developing clear plans that will lead them with confident steps towards the next academic year, full of progress, development and perseverance.”
She added, “Summer vacation provides wonderful opportunities for our learners to further develop their values and skills, explore their interests, and read more with their family, who are the foundation of an education that extends outside the school walls and goes beyond the boundaries of school days.”
During the meeting, the council approved the end-of-the-year results for the 2023-2024 academic year for government schools and the criteria for passing. This was based on the detailed analysis presented by Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of State for Public Education and Advanced Technology and the Chairwomen of the Emirates Schools Establishment, as well as reports that monitored examination violations and breaches of the testing system.
The criteria include holding a re-examination once at the end of the academic year, in addition to subjecting the results to a clear series of reviews and audits by specialised teams for approval without any changes at the end of the academic year. This ensures the application of the highest standards of integrity and transparency in evaluation, providing parents with an accurate picture of their children’s academic achievement and enabling them to monitor their progress continuously.
The presentation included the plans and programmes implemented by the Emirates Schools Establishment to improve student performance and enhance education outcomes. These programmes aim to develop students, teachers, schools, and the government education system as a whole.
The council also approved the proposed updates to the student performance assessment policy for the next academic year 2024-2025, which were developed by the Emirates Schools Establishment based on the lessons learned from previous updates, which aim to assess student performance in a variety of ways and enable teaching staff to identify key areas for improvement so that they can support students in achieving the highest results.
The meeting was attended by Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of Education; Shamma bint Suhail Faris Al Mazrui, Minister of Community Development; Dr. Abdulrahman Al Awar, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation; Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of State for Public Education and Advanced Technology; Sara Musallam, Minister of State for Early Education; Jassem Bu Ataba Alzaabi, Chairman, Department of Finance in Abu Dhabi; Hajer AlThehli, Secretary-General of the Education and Human Resources Council; Aisha Miran, Director-General of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority in Dubai; and Dr. Muhadditha Al Hashimi, Chairperson of the Sharjah Private Education Authority.