Spirit of giving unites private schools
dubai — Private schools across Dubai have joined hands in a bid to learn and share from one another in a year dedicated to giving.
With the spirit of giving in full flow, so far educators from 58 schools across the city have taken part in the Abundance Group initiative, which aims to spread good practice across schools through structured programmes.
Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) said the project — which allowed top performing private schools in Dubai to opt out of the yearly inspections in exchange for helping under- or poor-performing schools — has proven to be a big hit since its launch in 2016.
The schools in the Abundance Group have formed 40 self-selected teams who have worked together to devise a programme based on mutual learning and improvement.
Some of the current projects focus on character-building, school leadership, self-evaluation and assessment training, among others.
The self-selected teams have participatedin regular visits, workshops and discussions, depending on each team’s specific requirements and Dr Abdulla Al Karam, director general of the KHDA, said that the collaboration between schools and teachers is proving fruitful.
“This is the Year of Giving, and members of the Abundance Group are making sure that their achievements this year expand into a long-lasting culture of giving, in which the quality of education and the wellbeing of our community is continually improved through collaboration.”
Among some of the schools already participating in the project include a group of not-for-profit British curriculum schools in Dubai, including Jumeirah English Speaking School, Dubai English Speaking College, Dubai College and Jebel Ali School. They have all hosted workshops for more than 200 teachers from 23 schools, looking at areas such as self-evaluation, as well as teaching and learning, with more workshops planned during the year.
The initiative is part of a series of sector-wide collaborations designed to improve the quality of education in Dubai, which includes the teachers’ event What Works and Lighthouse.