Organised by the Ministry of Education and the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf State, the forum on secondary school education brought together representatives from the GCC countries to analyse and address the challenges of preparing students for the 21st century.
“We need to tackle the challenges in secondary education,” Education Minister Humaid Mohammed Obaid Al Qattami said at the forum.
“The focus is on reforming the school curricula at this educational stage so that the students can cope with the needs of the knowledge community.”
The 2009 Arab Knowledge Report developed by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) raised concerns over the education system in the Arab world.
It states that efforts in many Arab countries since the 1990s have failed to incorporate international standards in occupational, technical and higher education.
Dr Ali Al Karni, Director-General of the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States, said secondary education is supposed to cover the requirements of general education and that of specialised education.
“Secondary education has been, for a long time and still is, a focus of debate,” he said.
The symposium discussed possible ways of reforming student-centred secondary education, accommodating student’s abilities, interests and ambitions and preparing them for a rapidly changing world.
Arab countries need to adopt models from countries like Singapore that have invested millions of dollars in creating a strong K-12 foundation and rank high in international assessments.
Dr. S. Gopinathan, Associate Dean in the Office of Education Research in Singapore, said education needs to be made accessible and relevant with labour market needs.
“Developing and managing high-quality secondary education is complex and a greater range of subjects must be offered to the students,” he said.
Dr Said Saleem Alkitani, Deputy Permanent Representative of Oman to the UNESCO, said most students do not receive specialised educational guidance.
He called for a section to study the students’ needs and expectations with a focus on practical training within their fields.
“The Ministry of Education in the UAE is taking the right path, according to international basics, yet it lacks technical and practical support within schools,” he said.
Shaikha Al Shamsi, Director of Accreditation and Licensure, said, “We need to take a look at the ministry’s positive performance and lead it to reach high standards. The ministry has to modify staffing strategies and develop leadership at schools.”
She added that for the past one year, the ministry has been researching development strategies to re-assist both teachers and students, and “will soon establish a re-direction programme to help both in reaching a supreme educational level”, Al Shamsi added.
