School leaders are experts in developing education

Dr. Amal Al Qubaisi, Director-General at the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC), has stressed on the importance of school leadership in the planning and development process in order to fulfill ADEC’s goals to improve education.
During her welcome speech at the "School Leaders Forum", which hosted more than 800 school leaders from across the public school sector, she stressed on the fact that "Education is an ambitious vision for our prudent UAE leaders, and this has always been the case since the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, God rest his soul in peace, whose words focused on the fundamental importance education plays to help build solid human resources. President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan is also extremely concerned about building the proper human capital and focusing on Scientific Development, and as we already know, the Crown Prince, His Highness General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, is ADEC’s Chairman and his firm belief is that education should come first." During the forum, which took place at the St. Regis Hotel, participants included 273 School Principals, 392 Vice Principals, 42 Cluster Managers and 104 Academic Quality Improvement Officers, (presently known as Subject Support Specialists (SSS). Their participation is part of ADEC’s plan to enhance cooperation with all stakeholders involved in the education sector in order to fulfill Abu Dhabi’s future education vision.
During her speech, Dr. Al Qubaisi emphasised the crucial role a school leader plays in contributing to the planning of ADEC policies and initiatives due to their continuous interaction with teachers, students and parents, which puts them an important position to link education policies with people who are affected by it. "After this forum we expect you to conduct different workshops with school teachers to help explain ADEC’s strategy plan and the important role they play in helping us fulfill that goal." She added, "ADEC has recently employed 300 new Emirati teachers, which adds to a five per cent increase in the total number of Emirati teachers across public schools and is looking into recruiting another 1,500 teachers and administrative staff. This comes in line with our aim to encourage Emiratisation across schools and to help enhance respect towards this noble profession." School Leaders, Dr. Al Qubaisi continued, carry the responsibility to ensure quality of education and learning across schools in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and that every child has the right to a quality education that can fulfill their dreams. "That is why Emirati citizens play a crucial role in the education system; you are the future of this important profession. It is you who will help enhance our student’s capabilities and knowledge, especially in subjects such as Mathematics, Science and Physics, which play a pivotal role in our socio-economic development as part of ADEC’s ultimate goal to help graduate students to succeed in a competitive globally market.
"This new academic year will be different, in that ADEC, school leaders, teachers and particularly students, will take part in a journey towards the future. It is a journey that is based on the learners’ desire to seek knowledge in order to achieve their dreams and national goals. Students will enjoy returning back to school," said Dr. Al Qubaisi.
"It is without doubt that school leaders, teachers, students, parents and the community in general, must at all times be included in any of our plans and we look forward to working together to help enhance our children’s journey to learn effectively," she said.
Participants were delighted to attend the forum, which helped encourage the exchange of different opinions, challenges and ideas with regards to developing the education sector.
Mohamed Al Hammadi, School Principal from Shakhbout Bin Sultan School in Al Ain, expressed his delight to attend the forum. "It’s always a pleasure to meet ADEC’s Director-General since it is forums such as this one that help encourage exchange of information and experience amongst school leaders across the Emirate. Meetings like this also help shed more light on how to accurately implement ADEC’s strategy plans to come up with a strong educational system, while providing clarity into the future plans." He also added that part of the discussion included challenges facing school leaders and schools, which was an excellent beginning to transparent journey.
Source: WAM