Entertainment
Penalties for offering private tuitions in Sharjah
Penalties for offering private tuitions in Sharjah Afkar Abdullah / 6 February 2014 Sharjah Education Zone issues circular imposing tough penalties against teachers offering private tuitions. Private tuitions can affect the quality of education provided at schools and add to the financial burden of parents. — Photo used for illustrative purposes Following several complaints from parents about teachers offering private tuitions to students, the Sharjah Education Zone issued a circular imposing tough penalties against such teachers. Offering tuitions to students is strictly prohibited by the Ministry of Education, as it affects the quality of education provided at schools and adds more financial burden on parents. Some teachers reportedly force students to inform their parents that they would have to take tuition classes citing lack of time to complete the syllabus in class. Mona Shuhail, Deputy Director of the Sharjah Education Zone, said they received several complaints from parents about tuitions being offered to their children in private schools. Based on the regulations of the Ministry of Education, the authority issued the circular and distributed it to all private and public schools in Sharjah. The circular warned teachers that giving private tuitions would result in tough penalties including warnings, fines and dismissal. “The education zone recently fined some private schools which were found promoting private tuitions for its students after schools hours,” Shuhail said. If a teacher is found violating regulations, a written warning is first issued, and if the teacher repeats the offence, the zone instructs the school to terminate the teacher’s services. “The practice (of promoting tuitions), which is increasing at private schools, affects education development and the financial budgets of parents,” she said. Hessah Al Khajah, Director of Private Schools at the Sharjah Education Zone, said parents and teachers are equally responsible for the practice. Al Khajah urged schools managements to take all efforts to combat it so as to improve the quality of education. The zone had earlier introduced ‘education strengthening classes’ at a little extra charge to combat private tuitions. School principals Khaleej Times spoke to said “poor teaching processes” at some schools force parents to opt for private tuition classes. “Some parents can’t afford to pay for private tuitions in addition to the annual school fees,” one principal said. – afkarali@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Over 1.2 million visited Global Village during DSF
Over 1.2 million visited Global Village during DSF Lily B. Libo-on / 6 February 2014 International entertainers at the village during the month-long DSF included American street performer, Todd Various; drummers from Kerala and the Level Up acrobatic dance show. Over 1.2 million families and tourists experienced shopping, fun and entertainment at the Global Village, Dubai’s leading family entertainment and cultural destination, during the month-long Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF), which ended on February 2. Kuwaiti couple Talal and Fatima Al Jaber said every year they take their four children to the Global Village for the fun rides, shopping and dining experience which they cannot experience in their country. The Global Village, with its numerous pavilions, food outlets, amazing shows and fun fair, provides wholesome entertainment for the whole family. —KT photo by Juidin Bernarrd Their eldest son, Midhat, likes everything at the Global Village, from the variety of food to the amazing shows, toys and clothes — everything is delightful. “I love all the rides. My sisters, brother and I go for all of them. So nice.” The Dubai Shopping Festival Parade comprising 700 performers makes it the biggest parade of its kind in the Middle East, the international shows and the numerous performances taking place at the 30 pavilions have all enthralled visitors from within the UAE and abroad. International entertainers at the village during the month-long DSF included American street performer, Todd Various; drummers from Kerala and the Level Up acrobatic dance show. Ahmad Hussein, Director of Operations at the Global Village, said the village recorded some 95,000 tourists and residents visiting it last Friday, January 31, the last weekend before DSF ended. “We are extremely pleased with the number of visitors during the Dubai Shopping Festival. We made sure there was some activity for everyone to enjoy during this special time of the year. The sheer range and number of unique entertainment and cultural shows made the Global Village more attractive this year. The festival itself is a great opportunity for the public and the private sector to work together, and brings together a unique experience between shopping and entertainment,” Hussain said. Visitors to the Global Village also experienced the excitement during DSF with the park hosting the Dubai Shopping Festival Raffle Draw. The daily raffle saw lucky winners walk away with two brand new cars — Infiniti QX60 and G25 — as well as a cash prize of Dh100,000. For February, special promotional packages have been introduced for families. Entry will be free for children below the age of 12 every Monday, or Family Day, and there will be a discount of Dh10 on food for every Dh60 spent at its most popular restaurants. A mix of cultural and modern entertainment offerings this February include the Fairy Tales on Ice, which is being done in a specially designed rink just beside the World Culture Stage. Plays such as Aladdin and Cinderella will be performed there. Monday saw the story of Pinocchio being performed in the Fairy Tales on Ice. Visitors can also enjoy the high flying six-man All Star Dunkers, the rhythmic Argentinian Gauchos performance, Level Up and the Chinese Unicyclists on the World Culture Stage. — lily@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Healthcare is a right and gets highest priority: Mohammed
Healthcare is a right and gets highest priority: Mohammed Staff Reporter / 5 February 2014 VP calls on all the local and federal healthcare facilities to unite efforts to provide best medical treatment. Receiving quality healthcare services is a right for every Emirati as it is directly related to the society’s welfare and happiness, His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, said on Tuesday, adding that citizens’ health hence would get the highest priority. Shaikh Mohammed instructed that practical measures should be placed in action to apply the national regular medical checkups programme for all citizens. He called on all the local and federal healthcare facilities to unite efforts to provide best medical treatment and to raise the UAE healthcare sector to the international standards. Shaikh Mohammed and Minister of Health Abdul Rahman Al Owais at the Government Innovation Lab sessions at JW Marriott in Dubai on Tuesday. — Wam Shaikh Mohammed’s remarks came during his participation in the Government Innovation Lab organised by the Ministry of Health at the JW Marriott Hotel in Dubai. Pursuant to directives from the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Shaikh Mohammed urged stakeholders in the public and private healthcare sector to unify their efforts to develop the medical services, construct a quality healthcare system and provide best services to people aiming to improve the quality of life. In the presence of Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai; Shaikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai; Mohammed Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs; Abdul Rahman Al Owais, Minister of Health; and Essa Al Maidoor, Director-General of the Dubai Health Authority, Shaikh Mohammed exchanged ideas with participants and listened to their views about the development of healthcare services in the UAE. Shaikh Mohammed issued directives to launch the implementation phase of the mobile healthcare services programme to provide services in remote areas, especially for senior citizens. “I want to deliver healthcare services to people wherever they are, and I do not want any citizen to suffer in this aspect as it is the government’s duty to reach people at any time and in any place and provide medical treatment with the same quality we provide in other government services,” he said. During his visit to the Government Innovation Lab, Shaikh Mohammed approved a study for the establishment of a specialised medical training centre, and directed stakeholders to speed up the process to complete the establishment of the centre to provide continuing training programmes for medical cadres and train them on the latest developments the medical field. He also reviewed recommendations of a study conducted on the national regular medical checkups programme. “The UAE Government utilises its full capacity to support creative and applicable initiatives that shall contribute to achieving the community’s health and happiness and assuring quality healthcare services for citizens, in the fastest way possible,” Shaikh Mohammed said. He lauded the efforts of the team that complete the medical cadres’ standardisations unification initiative. The team was composed of the Abu Dhabi Health Authority, the Dubai Health Authority and the Ministry of Health. Shaikh Mohammed also praised the interactive response of the Ministry of Health with the instructions and initiatives that he launched through the Government Innovation Lab held recently at Sir Bani Yas. Initiatives aiming to improve healthcare services launched after the Cabinet retreat include: – Approving the launching of the mobile healthcare programme to serve citizens in remote areas specially senior citizens. – Launching a programme to evaluate hospitals and medical practices. – Approving the national regular medical checkups programme. – Establish specialised professional cadre for the public healthcare sector and develop occupational path. – Unify accreditation procedures for medical doctors and healthcare workers nationwide. – Introduce unified national standards for hospitals in the UAE. – Launching the cancer screening programme aiming to diagnose and treat cancer in its early stages. – Approving the establishment of national database for all medical records to facilitate patients’ transferring between hospitals. – Approving a set of procedures to control obesity and encourage healthy lifestyle. – Introduce a strategy to establish a medical research and development centre in cooperation with academia. – Establish a unified national record for cancer patients. – Launching the UAE Board as regional reference for all medical specialisations. – Launch a specialised training centre, with international standards, to train and qualify workers in the medical field. – Increase the appeal of nursing as a profession and introduce a programme to attract nationals to this occupation. – Launch a comprehensive programme to increase awareness about healthy lifestyles as preventive measure. – Establish unified standards for healthy diet in public and private schools. news@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
