Abu Dhabi Schools To Teach UAE Identity
ADEC has announced it will be launching a new initiative in private schools to encourage respect for the Emirati culture and promote national identity called the Hawayeti programme.
Fifty schools will pilot the programme, before it is rolled-out across the Emirate during the 2016/17 academic year.
The schools selected for trialing the Hawayeti programme have been chosen based on their Emirati student population, curricula and recent ADEC inspection rating, reported the Gulf News.
Dr Mariam Al Ali, manager for school development at ADEC, said, “it will address topics like Emirati values, culture, history, citizenship and belonging, and will also be flexible enough for the diverse educational systems offered by private schools.”
Gulf News reports, an ADEC study in 2014 found that most schools felt “the need for a clear and authoritative model of what national identity, culture and citizenship mean for children, be they Emirati, expatriate or more transient international students”.
