Abu Dhabi's Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) has announced a comprehensive training programme for private school kindergarten teachers focused on Arabic reading instruction, set to launch next year. The programme is built on the "Science of Reading" approach, drawing on nearly two decades of research into how children learn to read.
Under the plan, teachers will receive intensive, certified training covering letter-sound instruction, blending sounds into words, and building comprehension skills, supported by levelled learning and assessment tools to track pupils' progress.
Mariam Al Halami, Director of the Private Education Sector at ADEK, said the challenge of reading acquisition "has grown steadily over the years." She noted that children who struggle with reading in Grade 1 or Grade 2 still need the same foundational support, starting with understanding letter sounds.
While the programme initially targets kindergarten teachers, its methods will also apply to Grade 1 and Grade 2 students who are struggling readers. ADEK officials frame the initiative as a response to a documented global challenge in Arabic language acquisition, one that surfaces among children in the UAE as young as age five.
The move fits into Abu Dhabi's wider push to strengthen native-language instruction quality in private schools. By training teachers systematically from the earliest years, education officials hope to build a stronger foundation for reading before children even reach primary school, addressing a gap that has concerned educators across the region for years.