UAE schools are aiming to recruit more graduates in teaching positions in order to meet rising Emiratisation targets.
One leading school group said Emiratis are mostly being hired in administrative and non-teaching roles, but efforts are being made to ensure more are leading lessons.
It is a different story with Arabic studies, particularly in Sharjah, where many Emiratis have been hired to teach the subject.
The Sharjah Private Education Authority said 85 Emirati teachers were now part of the private education sector after being trained since 2019. A majority of these teach Arabic, Islamic studies and social studies.
The goal is to train Emiratis in teaching and to support undergraduate and graduate students to take up education as a profession, the authority said.
An all-time high 92,000 citizens now work in the private sector, figures announced last month show, as private companies with 50 employees or more need to ensure that 6 per cent of their workforce is Emirati by the end of this year.
The UAE's Nafis programme was introduced in September 2021 with a mission to ensure 10 per cent of all jobs in the private sector were taken up by citizens by the end of 2026, as part of a major Emiratisation push.
The population supply of qualified candidates for teaching roles of Emirati nationality, are fewer relative to the overall demand in the region at the moment
John Mayes,
chief people officer at Gems Education
Kirti Badlani, group human resources manager at Ambassador Schools, which operates three schools in the UAE, said Emiratisation was initially a challenge but that they are now on track to hit the target.
“It was a bit challenging initially when it had picked up, but I think we have been able to do pretty well,” Ms Badlani told The National.
“Predominantly, most of our Emirati colleagues are in the administration department because, when we started, we were looking more at the administration roles.”
She said they need to consider the criteria set by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority – Dubai's private education regulator – while hiring for teaching positions and are optimistic about hiring Emirati candidates in Arabic or IT teaching roles.
Graduate search
“We have two Emirati teachers and are looking for Emiratis to teach Arabic,” Ms Badlani said.
“We are considering fresh graduates. We are looking at hiring a couple of them in the upcoming months to teach Arabic.
“We are using Nafis for recruiting Emiratis but we wouldn't hesitate to go to the university and select freshly graduated teachers.”
Nafis is a federal government programme that provides a monthly salary support of a maximum of Dh7,000 to Emiratis who earn up to Dh30,000 a month. It also covers child allowance and pension contributions.
Emiratisation goals
From January 1 last year private companies with more than 50 employees had to ensure that 2 per cent of staff members were Emirati. This figure rose to 4 per cent by the end of last year, will rise to 6 per cent this year and 8 per cent next year, with the ultimate goal of hitting a 10 per cent target by the end of 2026.
Rashmi Nandkeolyar, principal at Delhi Private School Dubai, said: “We fully intend to meet our next target. I think the challenge was only in starting this journey.”
John Mayes, chief people officer at Gems Education, added: “I think there is a much stronger focus on Emiratisation than there ever has been. We have a strong alignment to that agenda.
“We are investing and we continue to be on track, as we've continually planned as a consequence of how the framework was introduced.
“The regulations are set by the respective authorities and there are minimum standards, the minimum qualifications to teach in the UAE. Graduates need to meet those standards if they are in teaching roles.
“We continue to look at graduates for teaching roles where they meet the associated criteria. We also look for graduates across the organisation for non-teaching roles, where we have less requirements to meet.
“We don't have a requirement to meet government mandated regulations, for example, in non-teaching roles in the corporate office or non-teaching roles in the schools.
“The population supply of qualified candidates for teaching roles of Emirati nationality, are fewer relative to the overall demand in the region at the moment.”
The school group hires Emiratis through open days, the Nafis platform and by building partnerships with universities.
Sharifa Ali Sulaiman, 25, an Emirati, acquired a diploma in special needs after completing her high school studies and is now employed as a learning support assistant at Ambassador International Academy in Dubai.
She said she chose to work in education because she wanted to work with children and help the community.
“I love children and I can be with them and support them,” Ms Sulaiman said.
She also said she is keen to encourage other Emiratis to take up the profession.
“I want to take it step by step so I can reach a higher level,” she added.
“I tell others this is something so good for you and for all the community.”
Closing the loophole on sugary drinks
As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.
The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed:
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
UAE rugby season
FIXTURES
West Asia Premiership
Dubai Hurricanes v Dubai Knights Eagles
Dubai Tigers v Bahrain
Jebel Ali Dragons v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Division 1
Dubai Sharks v Dubai Hurricanes II
Al Ain Amblers v Dubai Knights Eagles II
Dubai Tigers II v Abu Dhabi Saracens
Jebel Ali Dragons II v Abu Dhabi Harlequins II
Sharjah Wanderers v Dubai Exiles II
LAST SEASON
West Asia Premiership
Winners – Bahrain
Runners-up – Dubai Exiles
UAE Premiership
Winners – Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Runners-up – Jebel Ali Dragons
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners – Dubai Hurricanes
Runners-up – Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Conference
Winners – Dubai Tigers
Runners-up – Al Ain Amblers
Brief scoreline:
Manchester United 2
Rashford 28', Martial 72'
Watford 1
Doucoure 90'
About Seez
Company name/date started: Seez, set up in September 2015 and the app was released in August 2017
Founder/CEO name(s): Tarek Kabrit, co-founder and chief executive, and Andrew Kabrit, co-founder and chief operating officer
Based in: Dubai, with operations also in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon
Sector: Search engine for car buying, selling and leasing
Size: (employees/revenue): 11; undisclosed
Stage of funding: $1.8 million in seed funding; followed by another $1.5m bridge round - in the process of closing Series A
Investors: Wamda Capital, B&Y and Phoenician Funds
One in nine do not have enough to eat
Created in 1961, the World Food Programme is pledged to fight hunger worldwide as well as providing emergency food assistance in a crisis.
One of the organisation’s goals is the Zero Hunger Pledge, adopted by the international community in 2015 as one of the 17 Sustainable Goals for Sustainable Development, to end world hunger by 2030.
The WFP, a branch of the United Nations, is funded by voluntary donations from governments, businesses and private donations.
Almost two thirds of its operations currently take place in conflict zones, where it is calculated that people are more than three times likely to suffer from malnutrition than in peaceful countries.
It is currently estimated that one in nine people globally do not have enough to eat.
On any one day, the WFP estimates that it has 5,000 lorries, 20 ships and 70 aircraft on the move.
Outside emergencies, the WFP provides school meals to up to 25 million children in 63 countries, while working with communities to improve nutrition. Where possible, it buys supplies from developing countries to cut down transport cost and boost local economies.
SCORES IN BRIEF
Lahore Qalandars 186 for 4 in 19.4 overs
(Sohail 100,Phil Salt 37 not out, Bilal Irshad 30, Josh Poysden 2-26)
bt Yorkshire Vikings 184 for 5 in 20 overs
(Jonathan Tattersall 36, Harry Brook 37, Gary Ballance 33, Adam Lyth 32, Shaheen Afridi 2-36).
The specs: 2018 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy
Price, base / as tested Dh97,600
Engine 1,745cc Milwaukee-Eight v-twin engine
Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 78hp @ 5,250rpm
Torque 145Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 5.0L / 100km (estimate)
TICKETS
Tickets start at Dh100 for adults, while children can enter free on the opening day. For more information, visit www.mubadalawtc.com.
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group B
Tottenham Hotspur 1 (Eriksen 80')
Inter Milan 0
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Can NRIs vote in the election?
Indians residing overseas cannot cast their ballot abroad
Non-resident Indians or NRIs can vote only by going to a polling booth in their home constituency
There are about 3.1 million NRIs living overseas
Indians have urged political parties to extend the right to vote to citizens residing overseas
A committee of the Election Commission of India approved of proxy voting for non-resident Indians
Proxy voting means that a person can authorise someone residing in the same polling booth area to cast a vote on his behalf.
This option is currently available for the armed forces, police and government officials posted outside India
A bill was passed in the lower house of India’s parliament or the Lok Sabha to extend proxy voting to non-resident Indians
However, this did not come before the upper house or Rajya Sabha and has lapsed
The issue of NRI voting draws a huge amount of interest in India and overseas
Over the past few months, Indians have received messages on mobile phones and on social media claiming that NRIs can cast their votes online
The Election Commission of India then clarified that NRIs could not vote online
The Election Commission lodged a complaint with the Delhi Police asking it to clamp down on the people spreading misinformation
The specs: 2018 Maserati Ghibli
Price, base / as tested: Dh269,000 / Dh369,000
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 355hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 4,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.9L / 100km
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
