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Saudi academic year set for November
Saudi authorities have decided to postpone the start of the academic year, Gulf News has quoted the official Saudi Press Agency as saying. Accordingly, high school and secondary levels will commence their studies on November 10. Kindergartens, elementary schools and special needs schools will also postpone their academic year to begin on 17 November
Egypt orders closure of foreign schools
The Egyptian government has ordered foreign schools and universities to close until October 3, over worries about swine flu, with domestic schools having already been told to delay opening until then, AFP has reported. Egyptian universities and schools had been set to begin their academic year the last week of September, but foreign ones started earlier this month.
Al Riyadh inks CS Edventures deal
Saudi Arabia-based Al Riyadh Schools has signed an agreement with PCS Middle East, a subsidiary of US-based PCS Edventures, for the design and management of technology-based laboratories for grades 4 and 7 of Al Riyadh School. PCS personnel will also teach the classes and manage the labs, in addition to holding and managing an annual challenge competition in robotics and engineering.
Dubai university postpones male campus
Zayed University has postponed the opening of a Dubai campus for male students until next year, as the location in the emirate's Knowledge Village area is too small to accommodate the facility, The National has reported. Several alternative sites for the Dubai men's campus are being considered, ZU's Provost, Dr. Daniel Johnson said. Proposals will be presented for final approval to Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the University President, he added.
Bahrain to reopen schools on Sept 27
Officials from Bahrain's Education and Health Ministries have said that the kingdom's 205 public schools will reopen for the expected 126,000 students on September 27, with strict measures in place to combat swine flu. Government schools were originally due to reopen on September 23, but that was extended to September 27, to build in an incubation buffer against any outbreak of the H1N1, the officials said.
Private firms to help manage Abu Dhabi schools
According to a pilot initiative launched by the Abu Dhabi Education Council that aims turn around failing schools, private firms will have a hand in the management of every state high school in the emirate when the new term starts next week, The National has reported. The pilot programme pairs state schools with private education consultancies to introduce the education council's reform agenda. Under the public-private partnerships, education management companies help to run existing state schools, which retain their own teachers and principals.
Kuwait schools to get medical clinics
Kuwait will have 250 elementary schools equipped with medical clinics before October, according to the country's Ministry of Education. Certain facilities at elementary schools will be transformed by the ministry to be used as medical clinics, including art classes, which already come equipped with sinks and are spacious enough to accommodate medical equipment, Kuwait Times has reported.
Saudi private schools get ok to teach in English
Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Education has approved English curricula for non-Arabic language and Islamic subjects in Saudi private schools that adopt accredited international education programmes, Saudi Gazette has reported. The new system applies only to Saudi private schools and not international schools for expatriates, the ministry said. Schools must obtain preliminary approval from any reputable international authority that accredits international education programs, before introducing the new education system.
Intel Teach trains 170,000 Arab teachers
The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation in the UAE and processor manufacturer Intel have said that the Intel Teach Programme has trained 170,000 K-12 teachers across the Arab World since its launch 18 months ago. The programme aims to integrate project-based learning and educational technologies into teaching. The joint initiative has trained teachers in a number of countries, including Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia and launches soon in the UAE. It aims to train over two million teachers by 2011.
Abu Dhabi launches 'Sustainable Schools'
The Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi has launched its new Al Madaris Al Mustadama (Sustainable Schools) Initiative thorugh a a four-year sponsorship agreement with BP. The initiative aims to help schools in Abu Dhabi to carry out 'green audits' and find ways to reduce their ecological footprint.
BITS Pilani launches Masters programmes
BITS, Pilani-Dubai, a branch campus of BITS, Pilani-India, has announced eight Masters and other programmes designed for working professionals in the UAE. The new programmes, which have received KHDA's initial approval, include an MBA in Engineering and Technology Management and IT enabled services management, ME in Microelectronics, Software Systems, Design engineering and Biotechnology and MSc (Tech) in Engineering technology and Information Systems.
Bahrain's school delay criticized
Hussein Al Gezairy, director of the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO) has described Bahrain's decision to delay the reopening of schools to ward off swine flu as 'unnecessary and not recommended', Gulf Daily News has reported. Children aged six and under have been ordered to stay away from school until October 4. Some schools also sent home pupils earlier this week after being urged to wait another seven days before starting the new term. If Bahrain used the same logic, it could be forced to close other places such as malls and public parks in the event of an outbreak, he said.
Abu Dhabi schools 'unlikely' to close due to H1N1 fears
A senior education official in Adu Dhabi said schools in the emirate are 'very unlikely' to shut down due to swine flu concerns, The National has reported. However, Dr Amer al Kindi, the school health manager at Abu Dhabi Education Council, warned that parents and schools need to behave more responsibly to avoid causing 'panic that is uncalled for and a state of chaos'.
SAE Institute rolls out online courses
Dubai-based SAE Institute, a creative media education provider, has launched its first ever online programmes, SAEOnLine. The new programme, which allows study from any place in the world, offers courses in animation, creative media, film, game, audio, and music. In addition to English, some of the courses are also taught in Italian, Spanish or German.
Masdar Institute begins post-grad course
Abu Dhabi's Masdar Institute of Science and Technology has taken its first batch of post-graduate students from 22 countries, who are studying a two-year graduate level science and engineering degree. The degree will focus on alternative energy and sustainable technologies. Over 1,200 people applied to take the programme, which was whittled down to 92 students (including 12 from the UAE), following criteria set by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
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