Dubai school pupils score well regionally, says authority study.

Dubai: A study carried out by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) shows that schools in Dubai performed exceptionally well in major subjects.

The report titled: The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), was carried out in 2007 in both Government and private schools in Dubai.

In almost all categories, Dubai performed exceptionally well in the region, although they ranked below average in their first ever international assessment in mathematics and science.

High benchmark

The report goes hand-in-hand with school inspections, which are already underway, and the Programme for International Student and Standards (PISA) assessments of 15-year-olds next year, which monitors students in their reading, mathematics, and science literacy skills.

The performance of pupils varied across curricula, school types and to a lesser extent gender.

Compared to the international averages, there were notable performances from the UK and CBSE curricula in maths and science, scoring close to and above the international mean for Year 8.

"Dubai pupils scored significantly higher than the international mean for science in Year 8, in which 6 per cent of students tested reached the advanced international benchmark and an additional 21 per cent of students attained the high benchmark," said Sue Thomson, Principal Research Fellow at the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), who compiled and analysed the Dubai schools' TIMSS data.

The results will be analysed and used by both the Ministry of Education and the KHDA to share the information with the Ministry to collaborate in future planning for Government schools.

In the private sector, the Dubai Schools Inspections Bureau will use TIMSS data to reform their policies.

TIMSS operates on a four-year cycle and measures achievements in maths and science in Years 4 and 8 (10-year-olds and 14-year-olds). It does not give a world ranking, nor does it grade individual schools or teachers.

However, it does give the KHDA hard, data-based evidence upon which the Authority can move forward with its policies. 96 primary and 88 secondary schools in Dubai took part.

Report card - In Year 8 maths, Dubai scored 461 points, significantly higher than all of the participants in the region.

- In Year 4 maths, the emirate's score of 444 was close to the international average of 500. Dubai was the highest-performing participant in the region.

- In Year 4 science, Dubai returned a score of 460, and outperformed 10 other participants.

- In Year 8 science, the emirate scored 489, similar to Scotland and Italy, and above Armenia, Norway, Ukraine and Jordan.

- At Year 4, students in private schools scored about 40 points higher in maths than students in public schools. At Year 8, the differences widened: Students in private schools scored 100 points higher than those in public schools.

- At Year 4, students in public schools studying the National Curriculum performed better than students on the National Curriculum in private schools. Private school National Curriculum students performed at a lower level than students studying any other curriculum.

- Students following the UK curriculum in Year 8 were the highest achievers in both maths and science

Last year's performance

Hong Kong and Singapore were the highest achievers for TIMSS 2007, 7, with scores one-hundred points higher than the international mean.

- Dubai's score of 444 was lower than the international scale average of 500 score points. Twenty-six countries outperformed Dubai, Georgia's score was not significantly different to that of Dubai, and the emirate performed significantly better than 9 countries.

What is your opinion on the standard of education in the UAE? How different is it from other countries? How can the sector improve the quality of education being provided?

Al Nisr Publishing LLC 2007. All rights reserved.

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