Fatima Al Marri unveils KHDA's plans at the Global Education Forum

Al Marri has discussed KHDA's strategic plans, policies, laws and regulations to improve learning and human development in the Emirate of Dubai in front of teachers and education professionals from various regional schools and universities.

"We worked closely with the Ministry and recently took over the operations of the Dubai Education Zone, replacing it with the new Administrative Services Unit. Under this unit, we have separated the administrative services from the educational services and presented local schools with a fresh customer-centric approach that puts learning at the heart of every school and institution in Dubai," said Al Marri.

"We believe teachers are the cornerstone of the education progress, and as such one of our main aims is to upgrading the positioning and status of the teaching profession."

Moreover, KHDA has recently established the School Inspection Bureau that is currently co-ordinating with schools to build quality indicators and deliver independent and accurate judgments of quality education and set benchmarks for educational performance and excellence.

"We are currently, we are implementing the crucial role of licensing all educational institutions in the Emirate of Dubai, including all non-government funded schools, training institutes and colleges in the free zones," Al Marri added. "KHDA is also preparing another literacy based testing called Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which will provide us with a baseline for our system going forward."

At GESS, Al Marri has met with Beat Jost, Director General of Worlddidac, and Mike Lloyd, Solutions Specialist, Microsoft Worldwide Education Group.

"Organising GESS is quite timely especially now that the government is implementing important changes in our education system. GESS will be able to bring to the UAE and the region various worldwide technologies and solutions for education, which will have a significant impact on the quality of the future education of our greatest resource - our children," Al Marri furthered.

"Holding the Global Education Forum alongside the show is a fantastic idea as visitors and teachers not only learn from the presentations and seminars but also experience first-hand the recent educational technologies showcased at the show," she concluded.

Dr. Yousef Eyadat of Armouk University from Jordan also discussed at the Global Education Forum the need for e-Learning and its importance in education. He shared Jordan's educational reforms and integration of IT in the educational process as the most important elements in the Kingdom's modernisation drive.

Other speakers presenting at the forum are Dr. Abdullateef Hussain Haidar Al Hakimi, Dean, College of Education and Dr. Khalifa Ali Alsuwaidi, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, both from the United Arab Emirates University.