Teach Middle East Magazine June 2014 Issue 2 Vol. 1 | Page 10

Administrators′ Corner

EDUCATION REFORM:
ARE YOU READY?
By Leisa Simapili

F

rom ancient times until now
education reform has been
taking place and will continue
for the foreseeable future

Education reform is the term given to
the deliberate actions taken with the
explicit goal of improving education
on a countrywide scale. The United
Arab Emirates (UAE) like many other
countries is undergoing a massive
education reform. It is the hope of
the leaders of this country that the
improvements in education will bring
large-scale returns in; health, wealth
and well-being, placing the country
firmly on the path to being a global
leader.
Historically, reforms have taken different
forms because the motivations of
reformers have differed. The reformers
are eager to implement changes which
they believe will benefit students, parents
and all the relevant stakeholders.
They are also keen on ensuring that
each child who enters the education
system achieves to their fullest
potential. As one can imagine, this is
no easy feat.
The goals of education reform around
the world vary considerably. A stated
goal for education reform in the UAE
is to transform the country from that of
oil based to a more knowledge based
economy. This process includes the use
of the English language in the delivery
of the core subjects of Mathematics,
English and Science in schools from

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June 2014

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Kindergarten to University. It also
involves the employment of native
English speaking teachers from
around the world and the introduction
of more student centred approaches to
teaching and learning.
This reform has taken many forms and
directions. The very nature of a reform
makes it both exciting and challenging
all at the same time, because things
are constantly changing. Teachers are
integral to its success or its failure. It
takes a certain caliber of teacher to
thrive in a reform. Is that teacher you?
Reflecting on the questions below
will give you a fair idea of whether or
not you are suited to working in an
education reform setting:
Are you patient?
Working in an education reform may
mean that you might have to wait
many years before you can see any
visible changes in the system or your
students.
Can you focus more on the process
of teaching and learning and less on
the product?
Improving the education system
ultimately comes down to improving
the learning experience of students in
their classrooms. The students’ results
may not reflect the work immediately
but as long as the process of teaching
and learning is excellent the results will
eventually follow suit.

How well do you deal with challenges?
Each stage of the education reform
journey is associated with a unique
set of challenges, how you deal with
each challenge will determine how
successful you are. Being flexible is of
paramount importance as things can
change at the drop of a hat.
How innovative are you?
An education system undergoing reform
may stipulate what needs to be done
but it might not state how to do it and so
it requires teachers to be very inventive.
Are you a leader?
Leadership is essential not only in
sparking reform but in sustaining it.
Two things stand out about the leaders
of improving systems. Firstly, their
longevity and secondly, their ability to
actively prepare the next generation of
leaders, ensuring a smooth transition of
leadership and the long-term continuity
in reform goals.
In the midst of all the heat of education
reform, it is good to step back and remind
ourselves of what we are ultimately
trying to achieve. What is the end
goal of education reform? Most would
probably agree that the goal is to create
dynamic classrooms and schools, which
are better than the ones we h ave now.
While some of us would prefer to see
immediate changes, we will have to wait
for the process to unfold.
An important thing to keep in mind
is that education reform takes
determination and cannot be rushed.