Special needs education in the United Arab Emirates (UAE): a systems perspective

Arif, M; Gaad, E

Abstract

In order to obtain maximum benefits from the educational system, it is imperative that the system should work as a unified coherent unit. Gaad, Arif and Scott (2006) conducted the systems analysis of the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) general education system. They analysed three components of the system in order to assess the development, delivery and evaluation. This paper utilises the same framework to analyse the special needs education (SEN) system in the UAE. Data for the research were collected through observations and semi-structured interviews. Analysis of the data identifies some possibilities for improvement. In the area of development, more teaching and supplemental material specific to special needs education needs to be developed. Currently, teachers are working with what is known as the ‘para curriculum’. It is based on the regular textbook; with chapters that are difficult being simplified or removed. In the area of delivery, more training would be beneficial to teachers. The monitoring and evaluation component's analysis points out that the evaluation instrument used currently needs to be modified for special needs education monitoring and additional resources in the area of special needs education would required.

Citation

Arif, M., & Gaad, E. (2008). Special needs education in the United Arab Emirates (UAE): a systems perspective. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 8(2), 111-117. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-3802.2008.00108.x

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2008
• Deposit Date: Aug 17, 2015
• Journal: Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 8
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 111-117
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-3802.2008.00108.x
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-3802.2008.00108.x
• Related Public URLs: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1471-3802