UAE education ministry signs seven year deal with McGraw-Hill

The UAE’s education ministry has signed a seven-year agreement with McGraw-Hill Education as part of efforts to revamp its curriculum.

The deal will cover all K-12 math and science instructional materials in e-book and print formats.

The content for each curricular programme was selected based on the material developed for US standards and is aligned with the UAE National Standard Framework, a statement said.

All the materials were created in Arabic and delivered in August for the 2016/2017 academic year.

The announcement comes after the UAE revealed plans in late August to “overhaul” the country’s public school education system.

Developed by the education ministry, the plan aims to revise the school curriculum, introduce new subjects and streams and enhance the evaluation systems both for schools and students.

The new curriculum will cover technology, innovative design, health sciences, career guidance, general skills and business management.

Read more: UAE approves plan to ‘overhaul’ public education

“The new instructional materials provided by McGraw-Hill Education will help us create the UAE of tomorrow,” said Hussain bin Ibrahim Al Hammadi, UAE education minister.

“Our economic growth depends on investing in education to build a knowledge-based society. The new instructional materials clearly align school curricula with the country’s vision of building a robust knowledge and innovation economy.”

McGraw-Hill Education currently provides learning solutions to approximately 250,000 higher education instructors, 13,000 school districts (pre-kindergarten through 12th grade) and other academic institutions, professionals and companies.

It distributes its products in over 135 countries in nearly 60 languages.

Mark Dorman, president of McGraw-Hill Education International and Professional said: “The UAE is an important market for us and, with this agreement, we plan to expand our presence in Dubai where we have had an office since 2009.”