Abu Dhabi launches Emiratisation policy for private schools: 2,000 Emirati teachers targeted over five years

Abu Dhabi: In a move aimed at increasing the presence of Emirati talent in classrooms, the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) launched an Emiratisation policy for the private education sector. The policy aims to attract more than 2,000 Emirati teachers over the next five years through an integrated system combining training, professional development, financial support, and direct employment opportunities. The policy is distinguished by linking Emiratisation targets to schools' needs and employment commitments, and by providing clear career paths for Emirati citizens, in cooperation with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) and the UAE Competitiveness Council and its strategic national Nafis programme, which boosts the participation of UAE nationals in the private sector. In detail, ADEK launched the Emiratisation policy in the private education sector, in cooperation with MOHRE, and the UAE Competitiveness Council’s Nafis programme, in partnership with a number of private educational institutions, with the aim of expanding opportunities to attract and qualify national talents to work in the teaching profession in private schools in Abu Dhabi. This step combines regulatory policies, national talent development programmes, support for career paths, and educational institutions’ employment commitments, within an integrated approach that provides Emirati citizens with clear pathways for training, qualification, and employment in the private education sector. These efforts also aim to bring more than 2,000 citizens into the teaching staff over the next five years. ADEK launched the Emiratisation policy in the private education sector, in cooperation with MOHRE, and the UAE Competitiveness Council’s Nafis programme, in partnership with a number of private educational institutions. Picture credit: Supplied ADEK affirmed that the Emiratisation policy in the private education sector provides schools with the necessary tools and pathways to achieve it, including access to qualified national talents who have undergone screening and evaluation processes. It noted that the policy is based on the Abu Dhabi Educators Competency Framework, which ADEK developed in cooperation with the Emirates College for Educational Development, and is based on six sets of values and competencies, including Emirati national identity and respect for cultures, integrity and moral responsibility, humility, respect, empathy and community spirit, excellence and intellectual curiosity, lifelong learning, flexibility and innovation, in addition to cooperation and collective responsibility. ADEK announced the signing of strategic agreements to transform policy targets into practical opportunities, linking localisation targets with clear commitments from educational institutions to train, qualify, and employ national talent in their schools. The agreements included the employment of more than 200 Emirati teachers at Taaleem, more than 150 at SABIS, more than 120 at GEMS Education, more than 77 at International Community Schools, and more than 61 at Liwa Education, thus providing hundreds of new job opportunities for Emirati citizens. It noted that the recruitment and employment efforts in the first phase will focus on the specialisations of social studies, Arabic language, and Islamic education, with the aim of attracting and gradually integrating national talent into schools over the next five years. ADEK confirmed its collaboration with MOHRE and the UAE Competitiveness Council to attract and develop Emirati citizens through a range of specialised initiatives and programmes. Qualified candidates can enrol in one of the available training programmes, including the Medad programme, which provides citizens with an introductory opportunity to learn about the teaching profession and explore its career paths. It also includes the ‘Be a Teacher’ programme, which offers promising talents the opportunity to obtain a postgraduate qualification in education. It pointed to the launch and activation of the Teachers programme, one of the main initiatives of the Nafis strategy, to build a sustainable base of qualified Emirati teachers, by removing obstacles to joining the teaching profession, and linking national competencies with training and employment opportunities in private schools, noting that the programme includes two main tracks, namely the Teacher and the Assistant Teacher, and participants who meet the eligibility conditions within the Teacher track can receive a monthly financial incentive of up to Dh4,000 throughout the training period.