The Dh7b School Hope

Teachers will rank among the three most sought-after professions, and schools will set tuition fees without government interference if the man spearheading the education sector here has his way.

The director general of a newly formed body managing education in Dubai, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), said a concerted effort is under way to rescue schooling from its current pitfalls to measure up to the Dubai Strategy Plan 2015.

It is easy to make high-tech buildings and provide state-of-the-art facilities and infrastructure in schools. But are the teachers well qualified and dedicated to the students’ future? That is what matters in the end.

Dr Abdullah Al Karam, a US-educated Emirati, said he is determined to do whatever is necessary to bring globally accepted best practices to Dubai education.

The last academic year saw mass teacher resignations, owing partly to salaries, runaway tuition costs, and parents scrambling for limited admission spaces for their children.

"I think admitting we have a problem is half the solution. But the situation will not improve overnight," said Dr Al Karam.

"We went from nobody doing anything to everyone trying to do everything. Of course, this can’t be acceptable unless you have a common and central body, like the KHDA, to streamline and simplify matters."

Dubai has nearly 20 different national curriculums, with 85 per cent of all schools privately owned, he said. A few schools run by foreign consulates in the city operate virtually independent of the usual policies of the KHDA and the Ministry of Education.

"It makes no difference if a school is public, private, American, or Indian – the goal is to provide quality education to our future leaders. Moreover, we want to empower schools. Everything related to day-to-day affairs and most grievances should be handled at the school level. We want to reduce bureaucracy and bring together the different layers in command and communication at official bodies," Dr Al Karam said.

At the heart of the forthcoming overhaul will be teachers. If the Dh7.11 billion education share of the 2007 federal budget could be invested in one area, teachers would be the sensible choice, he said.

"My goal is to make teaching one of the top three coveted jobs. To do that, we must show them respect in public and compensate them well economically. Teachers in the UAE should be given incentives and concessions – in housing, for example – to make life attractive.

"There is often a controversy over their alleged low salaries but this is like putting the cart before the horse. First, we need to establish standards. We need proper licensing and screening tests.

"There are many teachers nowadays, but how many of them are truly qualified and passionate about their profession? Of course, everyone needs to eat but I think people are too fixated on the financial angle. This is not a career you get into for the money.

"Currently, people in Dubai are overpaying for the quality they’re getting in education. It is easy to make high-tech buildings and provide state-of-the-art facilities and infrastructure in schools. But are the teachers well qualified and dedicated to the students’ future? That is what matters in the end."

Dr Al Karam believes quality, and not price, should be the main issue in education. It is a waiting game to see if and when the cap on tuition fee hikes will be amended or even scrapped. Currently, private schools can raise tuition by a maximum of 16 per cent in one academic year.

"Quality and price have to go hand in hand, I think. Parents should also consider if teachers are dedicated or if their children really like going to school. If not, what could be the reason?"

Last week Dr Al Karam announced the launch of a new initiative to bring the 2015 dream closer to reality.

The Human Capital Master Plan, to be made public this December, will see "world class" experts and the KHDA strategy team assess the long-term skills needs for Dubai.

The KHDA team will undertake what is, in effect, a "skills audit and training needs analysis" for Dubai.

He said: "One of our main objectives is to help create a pool of very talented and professional people. There’s a shortage of that right now. We’re the first ones to launch a master plan – nobody had even considered that there needs to be one."

* Formerly the Dubai Education Council, the KHDA offers a one-stop shop covering the various education systems in place in Dubai. It recently launched the Schools Agency and Administrative Services Unit, formerly Dubai Education Zone.

Dr Abdullah Al Karam

• Al Karam was appointed to his present position as Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director General of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
• Prior to this, he was Secretary General of the Dubai Education Council in 2005. His previous roles also included Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Knowledge Village.
• In 2004, he was appointed Director of Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum IT Education Project, which trained more than 100,000 employees in IT skills.
• As the then Director of Tamkeen, a training centre for people with visual impairments, he helped equip students with professional skills.
• Dr Al Karam was also CEO of Knowledge Access FZ LLC and Manager of the Research Unit at Dubai Internet City.
• He worked as a software engineer for several US start-up companies such as Knowledge Based Silicon Corporation and Conita Technologies in Colombia, South Carolina, USA. He also worked as a software developer for the French Army’s tank academy in the early to mid-1990s.
• He returned to the UAE to head the simulator section of the UAE Land Forces. In the academic arena, he has held the position of Researcher and Teaching Assistant at the University of South Carolina in the late 1990s and as an Adjunct Professor at the American University in Sharjah. www.khda.ae