Adec offers afterschool coaching for Abu Dhabi students

The Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) has rolled out an afterschool support programme, in an effort to raise the overall performance of public school students.

The coaching will benefit across 31 Cycle 2 and 3 schools for grades 8-12 in Abu Dhabi public schools.

Under the programme, students will be offered extra tutoring hours in core subjects Arabic, Biology, Chemistry, English, Mathematics, Physics and Science starting Trimester 3 (April 2015).

Teachers, who scored over 91 per cent in their evaluation, have been selected for the after-school initiative.

The decision to roll out the programme was finalised the five-week afterschool pilot project among two schools last May 2014 was termed “successful”.

Despite the short duration, the results showed that the grades for girls who took English language improved by eight per cent and by five per cent in Mathematics. Also, when asked for their impressions regarding the afterschool programme, 79 per cent of students felt that the sessions helped them understand subjects better, and 74 per cent agreed they would like to enrol in the programme if repeated.

The aim is to discourage private tutoring outside school, offering students the best support possible at a school-based level, while improving the overall performance of each and every student.

International studies have proven that that afterschool programmes not only help enhance children’s academic achievement, but also support their social development and their relationships with adults and peers, as well as supports positive goals.

Adec’s future plans will be to broaden subject offering based on student feedback as well as include cycle 1 and more grades from cycle 2.