Dh21 million plan to find and develop UAE’s most talented children

DUBAI // A multi-million dirham plan to set up a centre exclusively for the country’s most gifted children is to be put into place by Education authorities.

Ministry of Education officials said its priority was to draft a law focusing on gifted and talented pupils and to set up a Dh10 million centre within the next two years. The whole plan is expected to cost Dh21 million.

Norra Al Marri, director of the ministry’s special education department, said: “The law and the centre is part of eight initiatives we are planning, if it is approved by the Cabinet. It is most important to develop students’ capabilities.”

She was speaking at a seminar on Thursday on talent development programmes at which teachers, principals, ministry officials and other stakeholders discussed how to identify and develop the talents of pupils who outperform others in mathematics, science, art, sport, fine arts as well as other fields.

The centre will be opened in either in Dubai or Sharjah, with other branches in all education zones.

Operated under the ministry, it is hoped the centre will be staffed with scientists, educators and lawmakers.

It is expected to contain a database of all the pupils and different talent development initiatives in the country.

The hub will build on the ministry’s existing initiatives. In 2008, it launched a programme in 10 public schools to identify gifted children.

The programme was expanded to 250 schools last year, with a view to increasing that figure to 350 schools.

Mrs Al Marri said her department was keen on a unified strategy that would go beyond schools.

“The challenge is that everyone is busy with their own initiatives. We need to work together. These standards and criteria should be customised for the UAE and we don’t want to just stop in schools – we want to extend to universities, too.”

She said funding for the project did not have to come solely from the Government – private businesses could also get involved.

According to Mrs Al Marri, the ministry has identified and supported more than 18,000 talented pupils across the UAE over the years.

“Schools are provided with technology like smart boards and robots,” she said. “The ministry provides the curriculum, books and training to teachers. We had provided schools initially with two to four robots. Now, we have over 700 robots to assist students.”

Despite this, authorities acknowledged that challenges remained.

“There is a lack of budgets and coordination between the ministry and other sponsors,” said Amal Al Qatani, head of the talent section at the ministry.

“We do not have a unified criteria to detect talented students. Each institute has its own criteria. There is no scientific methodology in place. We have a great need for an integrated approach and a national strategy.

“We need a law to ensure talented children get support. Schools have their own programmes but we need policies.

“We have started moving towards the draft law and a committee has been formed by the ministry to look into it. We will prepare a draft and circulate it to our partners. We hope it can be adopted by the Cabinet.”

Dr Manahet Thabet, who holds a PhD in financial engineering and won the World Genius Directory 2013 Award while representing Asia, said there was a “six-year gap” in identifying gifted children in the UAE.

“The identification starts at a much older age in the UAE,” said Dr Thabet, a scientist and mathematician based in Dubai.

“In other advanced countries, it starts at the age of four. There is a six-year gap and the child can lose the talent or the talent could be suppressed in this time.”

She said there was a vast difference in identifying a talented child in the UAE and the Middle East and in developed countries, where emotional and spiritual intelligence were given priority.

Dr Thabet recommended using updated tools to spot talented children, a unification of methods and engaging private and public partners.

“Everybody has talent but not everyone is intelligent,” she said. “The UAE is using the right tools, but it could do better.

“There is a consideration of emotional quotient, intelligence quotient and spiritual quotient but it is superficial. There needs to be a law to protect gifted students and engage not just the Ministry of Education and government, but engage families as well.”

The Minister of Education, Humaid Al Qutami, said: “We have an important opportunity to work as one team. There are lots of ideas out there. We want to consolidate these ideas and suggestions to serve our country and future generations.”

pkannan@thenational.ae