Education in the UAE

Introduction

Education plays a precious role key in every nation, therefore each nation has its history of education process. The UAE has developed so much and in various ways in the education process. However we should not forget the early learning methods of  this country. Nowadays education has evolved massively and it is so much more modern than before.

History of education

The early education in the UAE was so primitive. The people in the early days did not know how to read and write, therefore the only education they had was reading the holy Qurran. The teacher before was a person called a motawa and his responsibility was teaching older people and young children how to read, write and basic math. Al motawa had another job also which was educating the behavior of children. Teaching sessions were in the mosque or sometimes in a place called alareesh. Alareesh is built using palm fronds.  The writing tools in the early days of education were charcoal which was used to write with, Although they had the writing tool they also needed something to write on so here comes the part of animals skins. In order to make animal skin useable for writing they put salt on it until it become suede and after that they can write on it. When foreigners came to the UAE in the past they had a huge impact in education by teaching them a different language and the most important thing which is writing. After the UAE independence in 1970, which was given to them by Britain, education took a huge turn into prosperity.

Education nowadays

Since 1971, until this day the learning process became much more modern than before. Schools, universities, colleges and learning institutions have opened through the rising of the country’s economy. Today learning involves many subjects such as math, chemistry, biology, geography and much more. Nevertheless we should not forget that technology plays a serious role, therefore students now use the internet to help them find and gather information plus it is easy to use. The learning environment is more distinct than before in ways that help the student to learn and produce the knowledge he or she had received efficiently. In the early times all who wanted to learn must go to the mosques; however now they have libraries, classrooms and lecture halls. Never forget to mention that the public education is free for male and female citizen children through the university level. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_the_United_Arab_Emirates). Nowadays people can learn from their houses by applying online to different universities and colleges. HCT college uses technology to help in the learning process. They use e-books, online testing and power point presentations to teach their students and this year they are using apple ipads.

Education in future

Sheikh Zayed, Allah rest his soul, noted “The greatest use that can be made of wealth is to invest it in creating generations of educated and trained people.”, therefore the UAE government is investing a lot of money on education just to evolve and develop the methods of education. In my point of view education in the future will be different. New technologies will be used to educate the future students. An annual education conference was conducted to discuss the future of the UAE education. Dr. Samia Al Farra, the chief education officer at Taaleem has talked about the value of hearing the students out. She has also looked at a study that was developed in Harvard University called "What do school students need?". According to the Harvard research, some of the responses given by students included: : ‘Take me seriously,' ‘Challenge me to think,' ‘Let me do it my way,' ‘Build on my interests,' ‘Encourage me to be creative,' ‘Let me feel I am important,' and ‘Get the best out of me.'(http://www.gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/education/a-vision-for-the-future-of-the-uae-education-1.692849ulfnews.com).

Conclusion

In conclusion I can say that education in the UAE has developed so much more than before. In the past it was primitive and it kept on evolving until these days. Education in the UAE will never stop developing thanks to new technologies which play some part in that. In my opinion investing in education was never the wrong choice because it helps to have innovative, creative and efficient younger minds.

 

References

·         Education in the UAE | UAE Embassy in Washington, DC. (n.d.). Welcome to the UAE Embassy in Washington, DC | UAE Embassy in Washington, DC. Retrieved May 28, 2013, from http://www.uae-embassy.org/uae/education

·         Shammaa, D. E. (2012, October 7). A vision for the future of the UAE education.www.gulfnews.com. Retrieved May 26, 2013, from www.gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/education/a-vision-for-the-future-of-the-uae-education-1.692849

·         Salama, S. (2012, October 2). UAE launches a knowledge revolution.www.gulfnews.com. Retrieved May 26, 2013, from http://www.gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/education/uae-launches-a-knowledge-revolution-1.1084275

·         Education in the United Arab Emirates - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.).Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved May 28, 2013, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_th

·         Education System in Abu Dhabi. (n.d.).www.abudhabi.ae. Retrieved May 27, 2013, from https://www.abudhabi.ae/egovPoolPortal_WAR/appmanager/ADeGP/Citizen?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=p19654&lang=en

·         Subaihi, T. A. (2012, October 17). The UAE education system is changing for the better Read more: http://www.thenational.ae/lifestyle/the-uae-education-system-is-changing-for-the-better#ixzz2UafAV9xv Follow us: @TheNationalUAE on Twitter | thenational.ae on Facebook.http://www.thenational.ae/. Retrieved May 27, 2013, from www.thenational.ae/lifestyle/the-uae-education-system-is-changing-for-the-better

 

 

Statue of Liberty

Statue of Liberty

A French engineer who was inspired and sharing the same feeling of freedom as the revolution in the USA, Frédéric Bartholdi, decided to make a statue that was taken from a Roman Goddess which was called The Statue of Liberty. It was a gift to the United States from the people of France to support their choice of having their own freedom. The work on this statue was started in 1876 in the 19th century after many designs on paper and starting to collect money for it. The statue was carried from France to the USA to Liberty Island in New York Harbor. It took almost 10 years to complete as it ended in the 1886 as a lack of funds needed to finish it. The cost can be estimated during the collecting of money from French people to fund the statue, raising 2,250,000 francs ($250,000 U.S. dollars). It doesn't look like much, but $250,000 in the 19th century would be the same as millions of dollars today. The Statue of Liberty is the symbol of the USA and is still in the same place.

 

The Statue of Liberty was constructed from many parts made of iron in France then they were welded and connected to make the woman carrying the flame of liberty. Then the statue was shipped to New York and placed on a base that was built of iron and fort wood. A mix of copper, steel with bronze and stone is in the skeleton of the statue. The material was prepared in France as each part was designed and finished then to be shown in the exhibit. Many engineers and designers participated in the design of the statue and chemists as well to prevent corrosion to the structure. The material cost was collected by the people of France to the committee that was responsible to finish the work . As mentioned earlier, the French engineer Frédéric Bartholdi was the one who designed the statue after a visit to New York to decide where to put the statue. The design remained the same and nothing much was added to it a part from new elevators. One of the main problems was the heavy materials in the skeleton; that was why they got rid of it to be able to carry it on a ship to the USA. The designer died in 1904.

 

The pride of the USA is the great landmark of the USA, the Statue of Liberty;it’s a statue which represents the Roman Goddess named Liberty and that’s why it’s called the Statue of Liberty. It was given by the French as. The symbol of the USA and it’s still standing at the same place. This is the symbol of friendship between French and the USA during revolution any times. Everyone who sees it will appreciate the beauty of the Statue which is standing in New York Harbor; it was built in France and transported to the USA. In this you can see the effort of the French people, how sincere they are to have peace with the free people and that’s why they sent a gift as showing their thoughtfulness. It took them 10 hard years to accomplish the gift, by that effort you can see how worthy it is and how strong the statue was being built because until the present it is standing still in the New York Harbor. When you visit New York you can see the huge Statue and you will be amazed because it’s such a great work of art.

 

 

References

Statue of Liberty - UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (n.d.). UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved May 7, 2013, from http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/307

Statue of Liberty, New York City. (n.d.). A View On Cities. Retrieved May 7, 2013, from http://www.aviewoncities.com/nyc/statueofliberty

LSC 2013 Mini report practice 1

Youths put skills ahead of money

Emirati youths entering the job market prioritise skills over salaries. That was the message from young people attending the Emirati Youth Forum. About 50 students and recent graduates took part in the forum held a day before the Emiratisation Summit. In a live voting session, 30 per cent  said the opportunity for growth and promotion was the most important factor when considering a job offer; 20 per cent said learning new skills was the top factor; while 18 per cent said work environment and culture was the main factor. Only 10 per cent said they would consider salary first. A mere 2 per cent said working hours were the most important criterion. The main concern about working in the private sector was competition for promotion and recognition; in the government, it was dealing with routine.  Job fairs, career guidance and workshops with corporate guests are ways that universities can help create new perceptions about working in the private sector. A survey of Emirati youth found that nearly 70 per cent of respondents consider factors other than salary and benefits to be the most important criteria when deciding on a job. The survey, which was conducted in the capital as part of an Emirati youth forum, revealed that 30 per cent of the university students and fresh graduates polled place utmost importance on growth and promotion opportunities when selecting a job. Following the UAE government declaration of 2013 as the year of Emiratisation, this edition of Tawdheef will see a renewed focus on the recruitment of Emiratis. A number of positions will also be open for expatriates. Nearly 70 per cent of participants at the forum said that getting a job is their most immediate priority after graduation, over further education or entrepreneurship opportunities. When choosing between public and private sector positions, the deciding factors for Emirati youth tend to be growth and promotion opportunities, work environment and skill development. Tawdheef 2013 is being held under the patronage of Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, minister for higher education and scientific research.

How do Gulf corals beat the heat?

How do Gulf corals beat the heat?

If the sea off Australia was that warm, the entire Great Barrier Reef would die. So how do the corals and reef fish in Abu Dhabi's coastal waters survive? "Accurate predictions of the fate of coral reefs require a profound knowledge of the adaptation capacity of the main reef builders," said Prof Wiedenmann.

The coral live in symbiosis with zooxanthellae. This is a type of algae that lives within the coral tissue. Algae photosynthesis produces sugar that provides up to 90 per cent of the coral energy, and as a return the coral provide various things such as shelter, nutrients, nitrogen and carbon dioxide for the algae. The coral can live for a week depending on their fat reserves. The weather in 2010 exceeded 37C which caused the loss of many corals on large number of reefs in the southern basin of the Gulf.

Coral’s skeleton structure is made of the same substance as human bones which is calcium carbonate. Fragmentation and larval production are two ways for the coral to reproduce. Larvae have a limited time to choose their home. The larval production is not a main problem when compared to the recovery rates. 

Pearl Museum in RAK

Pearl Museum in RAK

There are many ancient legends that are related to pearls; some says she is daughter of the rain and some say she is the moon’s daughter. However pearls have a beauty and a huge value that meets the eye. Julfar known nowadays as RAK was trading pearls with European travelers  many years ago.

The pearling industry broke down in the Gulf in 1930 due to the manufactured pearls which were invented by the Japanese. Cultured pearls had a great effect on the life threatening occupation which is pearl diving.

Despite the pearls’ destiny, the impact of pearls and the passion still they arouse lives through our sisters and daughters being named after various types of pearls.

The first floor is a historical journey, including a detailed show where the guide shows us the diving gear and describes the usage of that gear to the audience. Also what I find so fascinating is that they were rubbing their bodies with oil that was made of Acaci berry.`` Their skin could not survive without this moisturizer” said Mr Al Zaabi.

First reflective statement

This  English course is basically about academic reading and writing where student can develop their reading and writing skills. Referring to Mr. Hedley instructions we should write this statement to describe this course.

What is this course about?

Mainly this course is all about reading and writing and the benefit we can get from this English course is gaining both reading and writing skill or improving those skills to meet a higher level.

What I have learnt so far?

The earning process takes time so until this moment I have learned to summarize a paragraphs. Nevertheless I have obtained two valuable skills and those skills are skimming and scanning and by having those particular skills will be much helpful in my future semesters.

What do I expect to get from this course?

I expect to learn more vocabulary as well as grammar too and I expect to make mistakes and learn from them with the help of my instructor Mr. Hedley.

What do I know about Hedley ?

Hedley Butterfield is a British teacher who is currently teaching reading and writing course and cultural diversity at HCT. However before that he stayed in Saudi Arabia for about 1 year and after that he went to Hong Kong and was a resident there for 2 years.