Testing Time For Dubai's Parents
Butterflies in the stomach, the anxiety of wondering if you’ll have enough time to complete the paper - the all-too-familiar of any child sitting an examination. Parents in Dubai, however, are set to re-visit those childhood feelings as they sit exams as part of a new initiative announced by regulator KHDA.
The Test4Good campaign, launched this week, will run for the next two months across the emirate’s private schools. Parents will be asked to pay a donation to charity, and take a shortened Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) or the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) test. The exam is about five pages long and takes about 20 minutes to finish.
Fatma Al Marri, CEO of Dubai Schools Agency at the Knowledge and Human Development Authority said: “Research has shown that active parental involvement in children’s education is crucial to academic success. When parents take part in Test4Good, they will have a good understanding of the tests, and will be better able to help their children prepare. We wanted to raise awareness about international assessments in an innovative way, encouraging both parents and students to understand the process. As a result, we hope to see improvements to academic results, helping us to meet the targets outlined in the National Agenda.”
Donations will go to the Dubai Autism Centre, which still needs Dh10 million to complete building work at its new site before it opens in autumn.
The UAE Vision 2021 National Agenda calls for all schools in the country to place among the top 15 countries in TIMSS, which tests fourth and eighth graders in maths and science, and rank in the top 20 countries in Pisa, which assesses the skills of 15-year-olds in maths, science and reading.
When the UAE last participated in the tests, it was 23rd out of 42 countries in TIMSS, in 2011, and ranked 46th out of 65 countries in Pisa, in 2012.
Members of the public can also take the test to raise funds for the charity, with details on the latest exams available at www.whatworks.ae/test4good.
