Tag Archives: children
Media must help create a harmonious world: Sultan
Media must help create a harmonious world: Sultan Afkar Abdullah / 24 February 2014 Sharjah Ruler talks about role of journalists at the International Government Communication Forum His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, has urged the media to restore the spirit of humanity in people, and inculcate in them moral and cultural values. Addressing the inaugural session of the Sharjah International Government Communication Forum (IGCF) 2014 on Sunday, Dr Shaikh Sultan said: “Media organisations must remain vigilant and approachable, uphold work and moral values, and help create a world that safeguards public harmony.” He was speaking in the presence of esteemed leaders such as Mikhail Gorbachev, the forum’s guest of honour and former president of the Soviet Union; Felipe Calderón, former president of Mexico; and Dr Anwar Mohammed Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs. The opening speeches also featured an address by Shaikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qassimi, Chairman of the Sharjah Media Centre (SMC). He said: “Two years ago, the forum was launched at a time when governments across the world witnessed sweeping political and social changes, which led to a greater interest in enhancing government communications.” “Recent studies reveal that listening, responsiveness and prompt ethically correct reaction are the first criteria for people in choosing a government. This clearly indicates that things have changed; we too must change. It is essential now for us to understand the specificities of the people and their challenge — not just deliver job, healthcare, and education opportunities. He added: “Today, we are missing an important person, Dr Abdullah Omran Taryam, who established the first printing press in the UAE and was the first voice that called for change. In my last meeting, he said that he was glad that Sharjah was moving in the right direction.” Dr Shaikh Sultan also toured the conference facilities and inspected the equipment and services provided at the venue. He also stopped by the memorial wall dedicated to the late Dr Abdullah Omran Taryam and left a message that said: “To the spirit of a good friend and companion since childhood and until the end of days, me and all your loved ones pray for your forgiveness and ask God’s blessing upon your children, who are as dear as you were to us.” The opening ceremony featured a short documentary on various people from different countries expressing the level of satisfaction with their governments, as well as their perceptions on how governments can be more connected and responsive to citizens’ needs and voices. In addition to a number of heads of government departments, members of Sharjah Executive Council and members of the Sharjah Advisory Council, the opening ceremony drew the presence of dignitaries and heads and directors of government departments and organisations, media and communications professionals from various Arab and foreign countries, and representatives of regional and international corporate and government communication departments. Themed “Different Roles … Mutual Interest”, IGCF 2014 will continue to discuss the positive impact of government communication on the relationship between governments and their audiences including citizens, government officials, private sector, public utility commissions and different media stakeholders. The first regional government communication event was organised by SMC in 2012. The forum discussed relevant communication challenges that were triggered by the socio-political occurrences in the Arab world. afkarali@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Public school admissions in Abu Dhabi begin on February 23
Public school admissions in Abu Dhabi begin on February 23 Olivia Olarte-Ulherr / 18 February 2014 Expatriate students can register starting March 16 while admission age for Kindergarten students raised. Registration for the 2014-2015 academic year for the new Emirati students in public schools across the emirate will begin on February 23 and will continue till March 20. Expatriate students will have a week to register from March 16 to 20. Mohammad Salem Al Dhaheri, executive director of school operations at the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec), has urged parents to enrol their children as early as possible in order not to miss the deadline. “Missing the deadline will cause a lot of problems for the parents,” he said, noting that awarding of spaces will be based on first-come-first-serve basis,” he said. Online registration This year, registration has been made easier with the new online system adopted by the Adec. “We have introduced new features like using the Emirates ID to capture all information automatically. This will minimise the time spent by the school and the number of documents required to register a student,” said Walid Nsouli, senior information and communications technology (ICT) advisor at the council. With the Emirates ID card reader, registration of new students takes about three to five minutes compared to the old registration process of typing all information and scanning documents, which takes between 28 and 32 minutes. “For KG to Grade 5, we don’t need any documents to be scanned, but for the higher grades (Grades 6-12) we need their last grade report card,” Nsouli explained. Admission age In keeping with the new Ministry of Education guidelines, Adec clarified that the admission age for Kindergarten 1 (KG1) at public schools is four years old as of December 31 of the admission year. It will be five for KG2 and six up to eight years for Grade 1. The entry level for kindergarten previously was 3.6 years for KG1 and 5.6 years for Grade 1 by October 1 of the admission year. “They changed the new admission age to four years for KG1; the child should be four years old by December 31,” said Thuraya Khalifa Al Salmi, student administration manager from Adec. This is the new guideline in the UAE and takes effect during the 2014 to 2015 academic year,” she added. Waiting list Another system introduced to parents this year is the waiting list e-registration service. Parents who can’t find a place for their child can log on to Adec website www.adec.ac.ae and choose a school according to their area of residence. “This will minimise the parents coming to our regional offices and they will be informed which school they can go,” Nsouli explained, noting that the new system was introduced to avoid frustration among parents. He said this will also allow Adec to manage the distribution of students especially in new settlement areas. There are currently 126,000 students enrolled in 262 public schools across the emirate. Students who are eligible to register at Adec schools include Emirati children, GCC nationals, holders of presidential decrees, diplomatic missions’ children, children of expatriates (according to the applicable laws) and orphans sponsored by UAE nationals. olivia@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Penalties for offering private tuitions in Sharjah
Penalties for offering private tuitions in Sharjah Afkar Abdullah / 6 February 2014 Sharjah Education Zone issues circular imposing tough penalties against teachers offering private tuitions. Private tuitions can affect the quality of education provided at schools and add to the financial burden of parents. — Photo used for illustrative purposes Following several complaints from parents about teachers offering private tuitions to students, the Sharjah Education Zone issued a circular imposing tough penalties against such teachers. Offering tuitions to students is strictly prohibited by the Ministry of Education, as it affects the quality of education provided at schools and adds more financial burden on parents. Some teachers reportedly force students to inform their parents that they would have to take tuition classes citing lack of time to complete the syllabus in class. Mona Shuhail, Deputy Director of the Sharjah Education Zone, said they received several complaints from parents about tuitions being offered to their children in private schools. Based on the regulations of the Ministry of Education, the authority issued the circular and distributed it to all private and public schools in Sharjah. The circular warned teachers that giving private tuitions would result in tough penalties including warnings, fines and dismissal. “The education zone recently fined some private schools which were found promoting private tuitions for its students after schools hours,” Shuhail said. If a teacher is found violating regulations, a written warning is first issued, and if the teacher repeats the offence, the zone instructs the school to terminate the teacher’s services. “The practice (of promoting tuitions), which is increasing at private schools, affects education development and the financial budgets of parents,” she said. Hessah Al Khajah, Director of Private Schools at the Sharjah Education Zone, said parents and teachers are equally responsible for the practice. Al Khajah urged schools managements to take all efforts to combat it so as to improve the quality of education. The zone had earlier introduced ‘education strengthening classes’ at a little extra charge to combat private tuitions. School principals Khaleej Times spoke to said “poor teaching processes” at some schools force parents to opt for private tuition classes. “Some parents can’t afford to pay for private tuitions in addition to the annual school fees,” one principal said. – afkarali@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
