Teach Middle East Magazine Issue 1 Volume 3 Sep-Oct 2015 | Page 10

MOE Message to Educators Collaboration and innovation are the hallmarks of a successful education system “The education of our people is a great wealth”. His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Founding Father of the UAE T he wise leaders of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have been investing heavily in the education of its citizens for several years. No expenses have been spared in ensuring that students are provided with the best teachers, resources and systems to guarantee their success. The United Arab Emirates’ Vision 2021, is a true reflection of the leaders’ commitment to education, as it places education at its very foundation. In 2014, H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, launched the UAE National Agenda, as an extension to achieve Vision 2021 in time for the UAE’s golden jubilee celebration. The UAE National Agenda covers the sectors of education, health, economy, police, housing, infrastructure and government services. The National Agenda includes eight objectives, which target important areas in education related to students, teachers and school leaders. Only when school leaders embrace the National Agenda will the UAE make further improvements, eventually celebrating in 2021 by being among the countries that provide a worldclass education to its students. The unlimited support for education from our wise leadership, is the catalyst which drives us forward to reach our goal of developing a firstclass education system, and to be able to foster a confident generation with all the necessary skills and abilities to move the country forward. Our aims 8 | Sep - Oct 2015 | | are; to have a system in which our moderate Islamic values and national identity are esteemed and taught in schools, and to raise a new generation that is motivated by self and national responsibility, to play an active and positive role in society. Education authorities across the UAE, under the leadership of the Ministry of Education exemplified the power of collaboration through their work on developing a unified school inspection framework. The UAE school inspection framework was designed to support the inspection of all schools across the seven emirates. The UAE continues to make excellent progress in its bid to develop a world class education system and in so doing it is vital to have a high quality school evaluation system, which can reliably measure a school’s performance against the highest local and international standards. During school inspections under the new framework, there will be a key focus on innovation. Innovation is the generation of new and creative ideas and the use of new and or improved approaches. The UAE Vision 2021 sets out in the National Agenda for the UAE to be among the most innovative nations in the world. Inspection teams will explore schools’ visions and interpretation of innovation. Inspectors according to the new framework will be seeking to understand how innovation is defined, designed and expressed in all schools across the UAE. The UAE prides itself on its relentless Class Time H.E. Hussein Al Hammadi Minister of Education Ministr