Teach Middle East Magazine Issue 1 Volume 3 Sep-Oct 2015 | Page 61

Know your UAE The delay in the development of formal education in the UAE was attributed to several factors such as the political and economical situations in the region. This also hindered development in other fields. The first girls schools that were established in 1958 were Khawla School in Bur Dubai and Al Khansa’a in Deira. By the year 1998, the total number of formal education schools in Dubai was 85. Formal education depends on basic teaching elements, namely the teacher, the student and the teaching curriculum all controlled by an academic and supervisory authority. Formal Education in Sharjah This type of education evolved in stages throughout the UAE starting in the Emirate of Sharjah. In 1953, Al Qassimiya School was established and teaching was conducted with the assistance of the teaching delegation from the state of Kuwait, which relied on a curriculum, books and teachers. Al Qassimiya School catered to many people in Sharjah. Shortly after the arrival of academic and cultural delegations from Qatar and Egypt, Al Qassimiya School for girls was opened in 1954. The curriculum was the same as in the boys’ school. Formal Education in Dubai Formal education started in Sharjah in the mid fifties of the twentieth century. This was as a result of an increase in the number of private schools as well as a rise in the number of schools combining the traditional and semi formal systems of education. The Qassimiayah School, founded in 1953 adopted the curriculum of Kuwait. The Qassimiayah School for Girls was established a year later and followed the same curriculum of the boys’ school. Formal Education in Abu Dhabi Formal Education in Umm AlQuwain & Fujairah The first formal school for boys, Al Ameer, was opened in 1958 in Umm Al-Quwain. Al Sabahiya School for girls was opened in 1962. In Fujairah, the first boys’ school, Al Fujairah School, was opened in 1962. Two years later (1964), Umm Al Mumineen School for girls opened. Join us in the next issue for our Know Your UAE feature, to learn more about the history of Al Hamadiya School and the development of education in the UAE. Al Hamadiya School is located at Al Ras, Dubai. If you are interested in a tour of the school, please call 971 4 226 0286. Source: Information and photography taken on location at Al Hamadiya School in Dubai. Formal education in Abu Dhabi started in the year 1958 with the establishment of Al Falahiyah School. The first formal school for girls was opened in 1963 Formal education in Dubai began in 1956. One of the renowned formal education schools is Al Hamadiya School, which was established in 1912. It adopted formal education programmes in 1956 and included new subjects such as English, Sociology and Science. Formal Education in Ajman Al Saeediya School was established in 1958. The house of the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum was used for school activities. Al Qassimiyah School for boys was the first school to be opened in Ras Al-Khaimah in the year 1955. In 1958, the