80 per cent of teachers graduate from new UAE licensing course
DUBAI// Almost 80 per cent of the first batch of teachers enrolled on a new licensing scheme designed to improve standards and qualifications have graduated from the course.
In all, 173 of the 223 teachers who took part in the pilot Teacher and Educational Leadership Standards (TELS) initiative passed their exams to gain the new license.
Of these 67 teachers passed all of the tests but now need to complete further English language proficiency training before they are given the full qualification. Fifty will have to resit the course.
Naji Al Mahdi, chief of qualifications and awards at the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), said the lessons learnt from the pilot scheme would be developed to improve the qualifications process.
"We all learnt a lot from the pilot process and although there were challenges we are already looking forward to our new batch of teachers in September."
Although not all of the teachers passed, he said most only missed out on one module.
"The figures aren’t as bad as they first appear as those who missed out did so by narrow margins," said Mr Al Mahdi, speaking at the TELS graduation ceremony at Emirates Aviation University in Academic City on Monday.
All of the 51 teachers who had previous international teaching licenses passed, while 92 of the 138 who did not have international licenses also passed and 30 of the 34 who were coached passed.
"There are of course many teachers who have extensive teaching experience in schools in the emirate and they will have to take the qualification and pass within the next four years," said Mr Al Mahdi.
The KHDA is aiming to have the more than 17,000 teachers working in private schools in the emirate licensed by 2021. They will initially be allowed to take the test three times.
Those with existing international qualifications will only have to take the ethics and professional standards module of the assessment, said Mr Al Mahdi.
Teachers from 15 private schools from across Dubai took the course. They represented 29 different nationalities.
The pilot phase, which ran from May to September, evaluated the effectiveness of the licensing process and involved feedback from participating teachers and school leaders.
Nikita Maharaj–Delpeche, from Trinidad and Tobago, works as a teaching assistant at GEMS Bradenton Preparatory Academy. She is now a licensed teacher after gaining one of the highest test scores in the TELS exams.
"I didn’t have any international qualifications but took part in the training p" she said. "It was a tough process because I was working in the classroom while at the same time studying for the tests.
"But I think it’s important that teachers go through this process because then everybody is on a level playing field. Once everyone has this license then at least you know there is a set standard that every teacher will have met and that will raise the quality of teaching."
Richard Drew, principal of Jumeira Baccalaureate School, took the course himself and was relieved to have passed.
"Over the next four years all of our teachers will come through the licensing process," he said. "This licensing scheme as well as TIMMS and PISA international benchmarking can only be a good thing in raise the quality of standards."
Rebecca Anthony, a teacher from the Indian High School in Dubai, gained her license but admitted it was a challenge.
"The exams were not very easy and we had to pass four of them," she said. "But if you practice teaching and are aware of international practices and the UAE’s requirements then you can pass.
"However, preparing for the tests while also working full-time teaching is difficult."
Private schools will now be responsible for putting their teachers through the licensing process. Although they will have discretion on how many they send, all private school teachers in Dubai and the UAE as a whole must be licensed over the next four years.
Abdulla Al Karam, director general of the KHDA, congratulated all those who gained their licenses.
"The quality of teaching in Dubai will always be equal to the quality of our teachers," he said. "The TELS license will enable parents to be sure that their child’s teachers are fully qualified, and will help to further raise the quality of teaching and learning across Dubai."
The pilot scheme was developed in partnership with the British University in Dubai and the National Qualifications Authority.
Full implementation of the TELS license, including all teachers at all private schools in Dubai, will begin at the start of the new academic year in September 2017.
0 comments