Dina Johnny (Dubai)
The Ministry of Education in the United Arab Emirates has worked on preparing policies and strategies that provide a safe learning environment for students at various times in general, and during crises in particular, and this approach has ensured the continuity of education for all students in the country, despite the worst health crises it has experienced. The world has been at one time for years and it is the “Covid-19” pandemic. The UAE has emerged to be among the countries that witnessed high technical equipment that enabled it to manage education on an ongoing basis without compromising the health of students, teachers and society in general. The matter did not stop at this point, as the concerned departments in the Ministry of Education continued to follow up on the mental health of students, and to provide them with support and social guidance, which is still ongoing to this day. The success of the UAE did not start from dealing with the repercussions of the “Corona” pandemic, but through the implementation of policies that considered the school environment attractive to students as important as improving performance and outcomes, and the UAE has recorded global leadership in combating the “pandemic” through a well-studied strategy that spread reassurance in society. And it provided the material and moral support necessary for the continuity of distance education, so the UAE was a pioneer in the mechanisms of combating this “pandemic” and topped the ranks of global models in this regard. The Ministry of Education has provided a modern educational environment in line with the overall plans and policies for the development of education in the country. It was keen to develop school buildings and facilities in accordance with the highest international standards in line with the ambitious plans through which it embarked on developing the education system in the country. The school building development plans took into account the provision of the requirements of teaching and learning processes within a competitive educational environment, and encouraged students to develop their sense of innovation, to add another dimension to the concept of the school facility.
safety officers
The Safety Officers Project is one of the distinguished initiatives in the Ministry of Education, and it reflects the directives of the wise leadership to develop the “Emirati School” system and ensure its outputs, which include raising a generation at the highest levels of work, awareness and good morals, which will undoubtedly reflect on the state’s position as the highest sustainable development center at the level of the scientist. From this standpoint, the project was launched in 2016 in conjunction with the launch of moral education within the educational curricula, in compliance with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.
In the pilot phase, the number of safety officers in the second and third cycle schools during the pilot phase reached 50, and in the second phase from 2017 to 2019, their number reached 350, to reach in 2019 – 2020 to 500 officers, to whom were added 10 safety officers for girls’ schools in Abu Dhabi.
The project aims to select and assign a group of retired military and non-commissioned officers and police personnel with personal and professional qualifications to work in schools under the name of “safety officer”, and each of them is directly linked to the school administration.
child protection unit
The Child Protection Unit is administratively affiliated to the Care and Activities Sector, and is attached to the Academic and Vocational Guidance Department. It aims to implement child protection mechanisms and measures in educational institutions stipulated in Federal Law No. (3) of 2016 and its executive regulations and implement the child protection policy in government and private educational institutions, in addition to ensuring and empowering the child of his rights, especially educational rights, and his right to protection in accordance with what It is stated in the legislation, provisions and provisions of the law, and includes the protection of the child from all forms of abuse, neglect, discrimination, and exploitation, to which he may be exposed in the surrounding environment, whether this occurs from a person who has guardianship over the child, an authority or responsibility or has any relationship with him. It also aims to work on providing a safe school environment for the child that makes him feel protected from all that threatens his survival or his physical and psychological health, and protects him from sexual abuse and exploitation.
Student Counseling
Student counseling provides psychological, social, academic and professional counseling services that are compatible with the vision of the state and the vision of the Ministry of Education, in accordance with organized frameworks, executive plans, and innovative and quality procedures that achieve results and tangible impact.
National bullying week
The National Bullying Week was launched in 2019 in cooperation with the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, with the participation of more than 25 federal entities to provide teachers, students and parents with the necessary skills to confront bullying, in addition to participating in the “Prevention of Bullying” program in cooperation with the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood. The evaluation, which was conducted after implementing the program on 64 schools nationwide, showed a decrease in the number of students subjected to bullying and an increase in cases of positive relationships among students.
“Let’s Talk” sessions
The Ministry of Education, in cooperation with the National Program for Happiness and Wellbeing, participated in the “Let’s Talk” initiative, which included the second and third cycle schools in the UAE. The initiative aims to promote the values of tolerance among students and create a stimulating climate for them, which enhances their self-confidence, builds their abilities and life skills, focuses on good mental health, stimulates positive thinking, and helps them uncover the challenges they face and find the best solutions to the pressures they are exposed to. It promotes the sharing of experiences through student groups led by educational supervisors, which contributes to the development of practices and tools to enhance the quality of life in the learning environment.
Happiness and Positivity Council
The Happiness and Positivity Council was formed in the Ministry of Education with the aim of achieving the concepts of happiness and positivity in its various aspects and among the students of its schools and educational districts and its employees, in order to advance the outcomes of the Emirati school, given the influential role of happiness in the academic performance of students, by creating a new model based on well-being and happiness, supported by With a package of effective initiatives and programs in this context.
The Ministry of Education was keen to develop electronic systems in customer happiness centers to ensure the provision of distinguished services to customers through service outlets. The call center was also developed by expanding communication channels to be able to receive the largest number of inquiries within the approved indicators.
educational facilities
The Ministry of Education needs to develop educational facilities, and develop or maintain existing buildings, based on criteria that take into account the provision of the best safe, supportive and stimulating environment for learning and innovation. A clear map has been drawn up for the development of educational facilities, taking into account the statistical data and population displacement from some areas, in addition to the new residential areas.
Teams to implement precautionary measures
The Emirates School Education Corporation has identified four school teams that will be formed in each public school to ensure the quality of the implementation of the return protocol and procedures: the Learning Continuity Team, the Environment, Health and Safety Team, the Academic Team, and the Quality of Life Team.
The main activities of the Education Continuity Team are the formation of school committees, communicating with parents, submitting daily reports, developing and supervising the safe school operations plan and the operational plan, identifying and classifying material and human needs, preparing the school budget disbursement plan, and correcting and responding to school control reports’ observations.
While the health and safety team is working to participate in the development of the safe school operations plan and follow-up its implementation, supervising the daily movement of students, following up the safety of the school building, cleaning and sterilization, and following up on health conditions in the school, such as vaccination and injury, applying the injury tracking system, and training educational staff and students on procedures Health and safety, providing prevention supplies, and training educators and students on health and safety procedures.
As for the academic team, one of its most prominent tasks is preparing the weekly school schedule, following up on teachers’ performance and empowering them, identifying and categorizing students’ academic, social and psychological needs, following up on the implementation of the academic plan to empower students with international test skills, and developing an educational plan for injured students.
The Quality of Life team works on preparing and following up the implementation of the plan for enrichment activities, scientific clubs, school trips, the communication plan with parents, following up on the implementation of the provisions of the quality of life axis in the operational plan, and following up on the participation of students and teachers in student competitions and local and international educational awards. As well as preparing and implementing social and psychological treatment plans for students, allocating a file for each of them, following up on absence and behavioral problems, communicating with teachers and parents, designing educational brochures on health and safety, following up on the health status of injured students and staff and providing them with support.
Safe Learning Protocol
The Emirates Education Foundation has developed four axes for school work for all educational levels in the Emirati school, during the current academic year, in order to ensure the safe return of students to their schools in various regions of the country.
The first axis is related to management and organization, and its application is supervised by the school operations sector. This axis includes a number of tasks entrusted to school administrations, including analyzing and studying the school reality, defining the operational model, defining the permanent group of students for realistic daily attendance, forming the work team, defining the roles and responsibilities of all school workers, and opening effective channels of communication with parents and students . As well as evaluating the safe return of students and submitting reports, investing all school facilities and resources to support the learning and teaching process, such as scientific laboratories and libraries, setting controls for the implementation of school activities, such as the morning meeting and clubs, and coordinating student groups with transportation.
In the health and safety axis under the supervision of the competent department, school administrations take into account precautionary measures while students are in school in all school activities, apply school building readiness procedures within the health and safety protocol, and ensure that students with critical illness adhere to the daily distance learning schedule, and train supervisors. The buses provide precautionary measures, and organize the movement of students and teachers in school facilities.
In the teaching and learning axis under the Education Development Department, school administrations must organize classroom planning tasks and activities among subject teachers, provide a time space for the teacher to follow up on tasks directed to supporting self-learning, receive students of determination daily, provide a teacher or assistant class for special education, and evaluate the quality of teaching and learning. Continuously improving and evaluating students’ capabilities at the beginning of the academic year and implementing the educational loss realization plan in proportion to the needs of students, providing educational resources and activities from smart platforms to enhance building basic skills, following up on the activities of all students through platforms and technical resources, and planning distance learning classes for students who have not They choose real learning.
In the awareness and empowerment axis supervised by the Training Department, all school teams will be prepared to take on the new roles and responsibilities to implement realistic and hybrid education in line with standards and expectations, and to educate students and parents about the precautionary measures taken, their rights and responsibilities, and introductory meetings on the gradual return, application scenarios, school services and quality of life And follow up the application of central training in the school.
Basic objectives for the development of educational facilities:
* Securing the educational environment by providing the buildings with firefighting, warning, sound and light evacuation systems
* Development of robotics, manufacturing, business simulation, health sciences, design and technology labs
* Inclusion of the institutional identity of the developed schools in the Ministry of Education
* Achieving the highest standards of security and safety
* Providing attractive environments for teachers and students
* Implementation of the state’s approach to the green environment
* Provide a safe, supportive and stimulating learning environment