View source for Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge

{{Short description|Educational regulatory authority in Abu Dhabi}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2022}}
{{Infobox government agency
| agency_name     = Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge
| nativename      =
| nativename_a    = دائرة التعليم والمعرفة
| nativename_r    =
| type            = Department
| seal            = Abu Dhabi Department of Education Logo.svg
| logo            =
| logo_width      =
| logo_caption    =
| formed          = 15 September 2005
| preceding1      =
| preceding2      =
| dissolved       =
| superseding     =
| jurisdiction    = [[Emirate of Abu Dhabi]]
| headquarters    =
| employees       =
| budget          =
| minister1_name  =
| minister1_pfo   =
| minister2_name  =
| minister2_pfo   =
| chief1_name     = Sara Awadh Musallam
| chief1_position = Chairman
| chief2_name     = Mubarak Hamad Al Mheiri
| chief2_position = Undersecretary
| parent_agency   =
| child1_agency   =
| child2_agency   =
| website         = {{URL|www.adek.gov.ae}}
| footnotes       =
| date1           =
| date1_name      =
| date2           =
| date2_name      =
}}
The '''Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge''' '''(ADEK)''' ({{langx|ar|دائرة التعليم والمعرفة}}), is the educational authority for the [[Emirate of Abu Dhabi]], the largest [[emirate]] of the [[United Arab Emirates]] and the home of the country's capital city.
The department was initially established as an advisory council on education in 2005 by UAE president and ruler of Abu Dhabi, [[Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan]], with the aim of improving teaching standards in the emirate by increasing the quality of teaching, curriculum, and administration.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=New School Model |url=http://www.adec.ac.ae/en/Education/P12Education/Pages/New-School-Model.aspx |url-status=dead |website=ADEC |access-date=15 May 2013 |archive-date=22 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130722175209/http://www.adec.ac.ae/en/Education/P12Education/Pages/New-School-Model.aspx }}</ref> The department is currently responsible for the management and administration of the emirate's public charter schools.<ref name=adek>[https://www.adek.abudhabi.ae/en/AboutADEC/Pages/default.aspx About Adek] {{webarchive|date=19 September 2018|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180919171815/https://www.adek.abudhabi.ae/en/AboutADEC/Pages/default.aspx}}</ref> Additionally, it issues licenses, monitors, and inspects the emirate's many different private schools and public universities.<ref name=":1">{{cite web |last=Constantine |first=Zoi |date=15 September 2010 |title=New start for schools as teachers learn a better model |url=http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/education/new-start-for-schools-as-teachers-learn-a-better-model |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180920050035/https://www.thenational.ae/uae/education/new-start-for-schools-as-teachers-learn-a-better-model-1.490167 |archive-date=20 September 2018 |website=The National}}</ref>
==Organization==
It governs public charter schools, private schools, and higher education in the emirate of [[Abu Dhabi emirate|Abu Dhabi]]. These three tiers are divided into three educational zones. Abu Dhabi Zone includes the capital city and the surrounding coastal areas, ending its authority near Al Khatim, halfway between Al Ain and Abu Dhabi, and the Abu Dhabi-[[Emirate of Dubai|Dubai]] border. The Al Ain Zone includes city of [[Al Ain]] and all schools north of Al Ain until the Abu Dhabi-Dubai border, all schools south of Al Ain to [[Saudi Arabia]], and all schools west of Al Ain until [[Al Khatim Desert|Al Khatim]] on the Al Ain-Abu Dhabi road. Finally, the Western Zone, known as al Gharbia, is the largest by territory but smallest by population. It includes all schools in Abu Dhabi's western region, including some schools on outlying islands.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Charter Schools |url=https://www.adek.gov.ae/en/Education-System/Charter-Schools |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230516083012/https://www.adek.gov.ae/en/Education-System/Charter-Schools |archive-date=16 May 2023 |access-date=2023-06-06 |website=ADEK}}</ref>
The public school system is divided into kindergarten, and three cycles. Cycle 1 is made up of grades 1–5, cycle 2 of grades 6–9, and cycle 3 of grades 10–12. All federally-run public schools are segregated by sex, except in cycle one. Since 2018, ADEK also funds a separate, American-curriculum based charter school network that currently runs from kindergarten to grade 10; most charter schools are co-educational.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sebugwaawo |first=Ismail |last2= |first2= |title=Abu Dhabi: Nine new charter schools to create 12,000 additional seats for students |url=https://www.zawya.com/en/business/education/abu-dhabi-nine-new-charter-schools-to-create-12-000-additional-seats-for-students-ghlws3gs |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220728073032/https://www.zawya.com/en/business/education/abu-dhabi-nine-new-charter-schools-to-create-12-000-additional-seats-for-students-ghlws3gs |archive-date=28 July 2022 |access-date=2023-06-06 |website=www.zawya.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Find a School - Charter Schools |url=https://charterschools.abudhabi/find-a-school |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230606124705/https://charterschools.abudhabi/find-a-school |archive-date=6 June 2023 |access-date=2023-06-06 |website=ADEK |language=en}}</ref> Charter school students are currently expected to complete grades 11–12 in federally-run public schools. As of 2023 the emirate has 31 charter schools, 265 public schools.<ref>[http://www.adec.ac.ae/en/Education/OurEducationSystem/PublicSchools/Pages/default.aspx Archived copy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014180713/http://www.adec.ac.ae/en/Education/OurEducationSystem/PublicSchools/Pages/default.aspx |date=14 October 2013}}</ref>
Private schools must abide by the department's governing rules and guidelines and are inspected once a year. However, they may operate using any approved curriculum including the American, British, [[International Baccalaureate|IB]] and [[SABIS]] curriculums.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Curriculums in Abu Dhabi |url=https://www.adek.gov.ae/en/Education-System/Private-Schools/Curriculum/Curriculums-in-Abu-Dhabi |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221202123414/https://www.adek.gov.ae/en/Education-System/Private-Schools/Curriculum/Curriculums-in-Abu-Dhabi |archive-date=2 December 2022 |access-date=2023-06-06 |website=www.adek.gov.ae}}</ref> There are 185 private schools in the emirate.<ref name="auto">[http://www.adec.ac.ae/en/Education/OurEducationSystem/Pages/default.aspx Archived copy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101202437/https://www.adec.ac.ae/en/Education/OurEducationSystem/Pages/default.aspx |date=1 January 2016}}</ref>
Higher education institutions in the emirate licensed and inspected by the department, but the ADEK is not involved in the management of any higher education institution. There are 18 higher education institutions.<ref name="auto" />
=== New School Model ===
In 2009, the Abu Dhabi Education Council (now ADEK) assumed the responsibility of running all public schools in the emirate from the [[Ministry of Education (United Arab Emirates)|Ministry of Education]] in a project named the New School Model. The project was aimed at improving teaching standards in the emirate's public schools by improving teaching, curriculum, and administration.<ref name=":0" /> As part of the project, the department has recruited thousands of licensed teachers from native English speaking countries primarily to teach English and science.<ref name=":1" /> The project was meant to be rolled out to all grades by 2016. In 2017, the ADEC announced that public schools in the emirate will be managed by the Ministry of Education, under a new national public school project; ADEC was restructured into the Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) and pivoted to a charter school model for some public schools in the emirate.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2017-09-14 |title=Abu Dhabi Education Council made a government department |url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/abu-dhabi-education-council-made-a-government-department-1.628636 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210521231421/https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/abu-dhabi-education-council-made-a-government-department-1.628636 |archive-date=21 May 2021 |access-date=2023-06-06 |website=The National |language=en}}</ref>
==Criticism and controversy==
In 2010, the newspaper ''[[The National (Abu Dhabi)|The National]]'' wrote about poor student behavior as a factor into why some newly arrived teachers left the country without completing their contracts.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ahmed |first=Afshan |date=2010-12-15 |title=Rowdy pupils scare away newly arrived expat teachers |url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/education/rowdy-pupils-scare-away-newly-arrived-expat-teachers-1.590791 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230606125531/https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/education/rowdy-pupils-scare-away-newly-arrived-expat-teachers-1.590791 |archive-date=6 June 2023 |access-date=2023-06-06 |website=The National |language=en}}</ref>
In September 2012, apartments provided by the department suffered a courtyard collapse, rendering the site unsafe for several months. Staff were evacuated to new accommodations.<ref>[http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/abu-dhabi-courtyard-collapse-a-simple-noise-and-the-panic-returned Archived Copy] ''The National'' {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131015085158/http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/abu-dhabi-courtyard-collapse-a-simple-noise-and-the-panic-returned |date=15 October 2013}}</ref>
Local newspapers frequently report instances of cheating in schools and universities under the department's supervision, including the use of [[ChatGPT]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Swan |first=Melanie |date=12 February 2012 |title=Pupils have been cheating 'since kindergarten' |url=http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/education/pupils-have-been-cheating-since-kindergarten |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230125172453/https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/education/pupils-have-been-cheating-since-kindergarten-1.384895/ |archive-date=25 January 2023 |work=The National}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rizvi |first=Anam |date=2023-02-16 |title=UAE schools embrace latest technology to tackle ChatGPT cheating |url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/education/2023/02/16/uae-schools-embrace-latest-technology-to-tackle-chatgpt-cheating/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230603013345/https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/education/2023/02/16/uae-schools-embrace-latest-technology-to-tackle-chatgpt-cheating/ |archive-date=3 June 2023 |access-date=2023-06-06 |website=The National |language=en}}</ref>
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
==External links==
{{Portal|United Arab Emirates|Education|Politics}}
* {{URL|adek.gov.ae/en}}, the agency's official website
{{Authority control}}
{{Coord|24.430061|N|54.464491|E|display=title}}
[[Category:2005 establishments in the United Arab Emirates]]
[[Category:Education in Abu Dhabi]]
[[Category:Educational organisations based in the United Arab Emirates]]
[[Category:Government agencies of Abu Dhabi]]
[[Category:Government agencies established in 2005]]
[[Category:Educational institutions established in 2005]]
[[Category:Subnational education ministries|Abu Dhabi]]