10 March 2021
Dr. Nadeem Memon, Dr. Deb Green, Associate Professor Deb Price and Mr. Dylan Chown – all faculty within Education Futures at UniSA – were awarded a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Council of Australia-Arab Relations (CAAR) grant in 2020 entitled: Cultural Preparedness to Teach in the Middle East.
At the time of applying for this grant, the team had collectively contributed to pre and in-service professional development for educators about CRP in Australia but had not explored its potential relevance abroad. The lead investigator on the project, Dr. Nadeem Memon, had experience as an educational consultant in the UAE and Qatar and was aware of the educational challenges in both contexts around preparing expat educators to foster appreciation for ‘local culture and heritage’ while drawing on the diverse global cultures that comprise both countries today.
The DFAT/CAAR grant provided an incredible opportunity to visit Dubai and Doha in late January 2020. The team conducted ‘educator roundtables’ on CRP in eight international private schools, four universities for current and becoming educators, and the Qatar National Library for public sector employees. The 10-day journey provided an opportunity to engage with more than 200 educators – both local and expatriate – to gain an appreciation for the complexities, challenges, contributions, and aspirations in two blossoming educational contexts.
This study is an extension of the collaborative work the co-authors contribute to on CRP with the Centre for Research in Educational and Social Inclusion (CRESI) at UniSA.
