Two universities will launch postgraduate courses in special education this autumn, to address the desperate shortage of special-needs teachers.
Zayed University and Abu Dhabi University will offer two-year master's degrees in the field, with each aiming to train around 25 specialists to work in schools and centres around the country.
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"There's a huge need for qualified special-needs teachers," said Dr Jacob Chacko, a professor who helped to set up the ADU programme.
Schools are crying out for more trained special-needs teachers. Specialist schools are short of places, and education authorities are keen for pupils with special needs to be better integrated into mainstream education.
The latest report by the Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau found that most schools lack an inclusive policy to accommodate physical and learning disabilities.
There are exceptions. Awladona school in Sharjah caters for children and young people with conditions such as Down's syndrome, cerebral palsy and mental retardation.
Maha Khouzamy, who owns the school, welcomed the new master's degrees, though she said they would have to be comprehensive to meet the diverse needs of children such as those at Awladona.
"We really need more experts but it's a very complex topic," she said. "These specialists must understand areas such as behaviour modification and creating individual education plans.
"This is not easy as each child is different, and the expert must understand the difference between the child's real age and mental age. A six-year-old with special needs cannot study a curriculum designed for any six-year-old."
She said teaching methods need a stable base, especially with the steady turnover of teachers from countries such as the UK and US.
Dr Eman Gaad from the British University of Dubai, whose doctoral work focuses on special education across the country, said: "As educators we always welcome new opportunities that produce more skilful special educators, especially in Abu Dhabi."
Zayed University will introduce the master's degree in special education in November at its campuses in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
At Dh84,000 for two years, the course is not cheap - especially when the teachers it is aimed at earn around Dh16,000 a month.
ADU's course will cost around Dh60,000 for two years.
"You have to really want it and see that it would benefit you in the long run as an investment for the future and the opportunities out there," said Dr Robin Dada, the dean of Zayed University's education faculty.
Without specialist scholarships on offer, she fears it might be hard to fill the course's 25 places. "There is a need for people who actively want to work with people with special needs," she said.
Her predecessor, Dr Peggy Blackwell, who left last year after six years at the university, said the problem with special education courses is the lack of academics to teach them.
When Zayed University designed the programme, it had three specialists, but all left for jobs elsewhere - a common problem for UAE universities.
"We've had so many people asking for the special education programme but it's just about manpower," Dr Dada said. "You have to have a PhD in special education to teach it, and while Zayed has educators with PhDs in education, they are not in special education."
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TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
- The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
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Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
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Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Results:
Men's wheelchair 800m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 1.44.79; 2. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 1.45.88; 3. Isaac Towers (GBR) 1.46.46.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
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Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
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Company%20Profile
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Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
Bloomberg
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Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
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Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley