education
AN EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION Explore the Arbor School’s ecological approach to academics
In
a world beset with environmental pollution, habitat destruction, climate change and the many ecological, social and economic problems that arise from them, a new school in Dubai is calling for a fresh approach to education. The brainchild of Praxis Education, the Arbor School follows the National Curriculum for England with a focus on ecoliteracy, sustainability and environmental justice. Company CEO, Dr. Saad Al-Omari, believes that an ecologically-focused education is the key. “Ecological thought,” says Dr. Al-Omari, “represents the cutting edge of contemporary thought in the developed world. It has evolved into a coherent set of scientific, environmental, economic, artistic, ethical and educational ideas that underpin every aspect of life in a fragile and increasingly strained global environment. Ecology and environmentalism are excellent lenses through which to examine and assess
the great accumulation of knowledge and experience -- the culmination of millennia of inquiry -- that is available to our students in the ‘information age’. We believe that this corpus is the heritage of all, regardless of gender, nationality or culture, and we aim to provide our students with the intellectual tools to explore and experiment independently with this knowledge and to pursue their interests within it with passion, dedication, and a keen awareness of their ethical responsibility to our planet and the impact they may have on the lives of present and future generations.” “Human impact,” continues Dr. AlOmari, “is having serious consequences on the biosphere, which are impacting not only ecosystems, but also economies around the world, leading to an increase of hardship in societies on every continent and on generations as yet unborn. A contemporary ethic based on compassion
24 | SEPTEMBER 2018 | MOTHER, BABY & CHILD
Dr Sa’ad Al-Omari is the CEO of Praxis Education. He has spent the last decade delivering educational services in the Gulf. After completing his Doctorate in Palaeoclimatology at the University of Cambridge, he spent several years in the UK as a Post-Doctoral Research Associate at the University of East Anglia. Upon his return to the Gulf, he served as an Assistant Professor at the American University of Kuwait (AUK) and Director of Development and Planning at the Australian College of Kuwait (ACK), where he went on to hold the positions of Academic Dean, Vice President and CEO. He is a member of ACK’s Board of Trustees and the COO (Education) of Al Mutatawera Services Holding Company. He is also a Member of the Board of Directors of the Centre for Child Evaluation and Teaching (CCET) in Kuwait, a non-profit organisation committed to serving the diagnostic and educational needs of children with learning difficulties and disabilities.
