Which are the six courses mandated by KHDA in Dubai?

Teaching is a very noble profession. In its own way, it is also a compelling profession as teachers exercise a great deal of influence on the children. A teacher should thus be equipped with the right knowledge, which will ensure that they know how to deal with any given situation. The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) has thus made it mandatory for prospective teachers to complete six courses before they can claim the teacher’s permit. It canalso help you gain experience certificate as a teacher. KHDA is the quality assurance and regulatory authority for education of the Government of Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Teaching might be one of the best professions to go for. One gets to spend time with innocent children, and one gets a chance to influence lives positively. These courses can help to become a good teacher that knows how to be responsible for children apart from conventional academic ways.

Details about the six courses

The following are the six courses that a teacher must complete before they are legally allowed to teach in the region.

●       Child protection and safeguarding

Children are among the most vulnerable sections of society – unlike adults, they may not have enough defence mechanisms to defend themselves against abuse, the understanding of right or wrong, or even the fact that they might need to ask for help. It makes it difficult to help them as they might not just come out with it. Moreover, the abuser of the child may be a parent, a guardian, another teacher, or some other person who was responsible for the safety of the children. Thus, a teacher must be able to identify the signs of abuse and know exactly how to talk to children they suspect of being abused. Moreover, they must understand their responsibility for reporting this abuse to appropriate authorities. The first and one of the most important courses required by KHDA will help the teacher to do this.

●       Child Wellbeing 

This topic covers a variety of subjects, including the growth mindset (which states that children are still growing and capable of change), the measures required for ensuring that one will get the best for the health and safety of children, including the kind of nutrition provided in schools. A course required by KHDA before one can help the teacher learn about these issues.

●       Dealing with people of determination 

While most of us are gifted to be neurotypical, a teacher must also be able to understand the needs of children on the spectrum or those with special educational needs. They must be able to include them in the class; this also involves learning what is currently considered best practices internationally to deal with these needs. This is important as our understanding of these special needs at the education level has begun developing only in the past few decades. The teacher can learn how to do all this under a course required for KHDA, which imparts this particular knowledge.

●       Diversity

Another important way classes must be made inclusive is in terms of cultural and other forms of diversity. This has increasingly grown more important due to increased international migration and as the region has seen people from diverse cultures move and settle down in it. A teacher must learn how to make children of various cultures feel more included as well as how to ensure that their cultural sentiments are not hurt in any way. KHDA requires a course specifically for this purpose

●       Sustainability

As global warming increases and climate change is threatening humanity like never before, a knowledge of the environment, an understanding of the ways in which human civilization is affecting it, of various conservation and sustainable lifestyle methods such as the 3Rs (Reduce, Recycle and Reuse), and of human responsibility for ensuring a sustainable development has grown more important than ever before. One of the KHDA-approved courses requires teachers to not only have an understanding of these concepts but also to learn how to impart this knowledge to students in such a way that they will become better global citizens.

●       Moral education

The last but not the least important course KHDA requires its teachers to attend relates to moral education. It involves an understanding of civic and community values, of values arising from empathy and respect. The right kind of morals is necessary for children due to the kind of influence they enjoy on their students – sometimes they are even their inspiration. Thus teachers must not only practice the right kind of morals to teach by example but also must be able to impart this education through other methods.

Needless to say, each of the above-mentioned courses imparts highly valuable information to prospective teachers.

How to get these courses?

It must be noted that these courses are required by KHDA and must be completed before one can get a teacher’s permit in UAE. It is equally important to ensure that one gets the course certificates that are approved by KHDA. Thus, one should use an institute that provides only KHDA approved courses

It is also important that a teacher must keep themselves apprised of development and changes in the best practices as related to the themes of various courses mentioned above. That will ensure that the teachers will do nothing but ensure the best education for the children.

The Bottom Line

Even though the prospective teachers are mandatedto do these courses because the government requires them to do so; these courses can actually help them learn how to act responsibly in a situation where they can make a positive impact on the lives of their students as well as understand the model behaviour expected of them in their everyday life. One can also appreciate the fact that KHDA’s requirements are reasonable. Moreover, these courses are also easy to complete and great for starting one of the noblest and most respected professions on the planet.