MoCD standarises distance edu. at People of Determination centres

The measurement is based on the "quality scale of distance education", which was prepared by the Department of Welfare and Rehabilitation of People of Determination targeting the UAE government and private centres in the UAE.

"The results of the educational process for the 2020/2021 academic year are characterised by many achievements, despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ministry of Community Development has benefited from the outcomes of the virtual education experience, as well as the challenges facing people of determination and their parents during the pandemic in developing the virtual education system for them," said Nasser Ismail, Assistant Under-Secretary of Social Welfare at the Ministry of Community Development.

He also spoke about the development deliverables of the educational process at people of determination centres, which ensured the system's success, along with the launch of digital programmes, such as "Khetta" and "My family with me" smart applications. Additionally, he reviewed the technical support provided for parents, the staff guidelines and training programmes, such as specialised training workshops on virtual education for people of determination, the virtual meeting guide for these categories, and other mentoring initiatives that have contributed to the success of the distance education plan at the centres.

Furthermore, Wafa Hamad Bin Sulaiman, Director of Welfare and Rehabilitation Department for People of Determination, stated that the ministry has completed the standardisation of the distance education quality scale for people of determination in the rehabilitation centres, in accordance with UAE's local culture. The blueprint tool has been distributed to a pilot study that consisted of special education teachers in both the UAE government and private centres. The participants gave their input on the tool, which was modified and reformulated based on their feedback. At last, the scale compiled 38 items within six main areas: educational plans and their formulation context in accordance with the abilities of students, virtual configuration applied with students, virtual education environment and suitability for students, distance education methods used with people of determination, follow-up with the family at their home environment and natural surroundings, and evaluation and outputs achieved from virtual education and its relevance to educational plans developed for students.