Dubai: The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) has outlined some new initiatives for this school year in a letter to all private school principals in Dubai.
The letter, written by KHDA director-general Dr Abdullah Al Karam, is being delivered in a Knowledge Box, which is a gift pack that includes Educating Ruby, a book about the “survival skills students need to lead happy and productive lives”.
Some of the initiatives are completely new while others build on existing programmes.
For the first time, the annual KHDA survey, which was previously tied to school inspections, will be held under a new unified School of Hearts and Minds survey, Dr Al Karam’s letter says.
The survey will ask principals, teachers, parents and students questions about all aspects of their teaching and learning experience. The survey’s results will be shared later during the course of the current school year.
“This academic year, the Abundance Group will be coming together for the first time. This is a group of schools which will be involved in projects designed to give more to other schools and the wider Dubai education community. We’ll be sharing more details about the Abundance Group’s projects towards the end of September,” the letter adds.
Meanwhile, the What Works project will host three ‘Mega What Works’ events — one for each school term — focusing on Happiness, Tolerance and the Future, in line with the new UAE ministerial posts.
The Lighthouse project, where principals have been working together on ten attributes that “light the way to positive education and happier lives” is also developing.
Meanwhile, the Living Arabic programme will now include “action research-based elements and continue to inspire the love of Arabic in teachers and students in Dubai”.
The Dubai Saturday Club, an initiative for students that started last academic year which welcomed innovative ideas from pupils is continuing.
