A detailed study attributed to the decision to reduce the working week

77% improvement in the academic achievement of Sharjah students

«Sharjah Private Education»: The decision contributed to the general feeling of well-being, quality of life and spending time with the family. From the source

A detailed study conducted by the Sharjah Private Education Authority to measure the impact of the implementation of the decision of the Government of the Emirate of Sharjah to reduce the official working week to only four days, and the announcement of three days as a weekend, on productivity and quality of life in the educational community in Sharjah, concluded to achieve a package of qualitative educational outputs and gains that are added to the Authority's record.

The study witnessed the participation of about 7000,31 educational and administrative staff, in addition to the participation of 198,70 families from more than 127 nationalities whose children attend 184 private schools in Sharjah, operating with a capacity of more than <>,<> students.

The Chairperson of the Sharjah Private Education Authority, Dr. Muhaddith Al Hashemi, stressed the importance of studying to identify the gains achieved through the decision to work four days a week, which came to enable educational staff, students and families to manage time perfectly, allowing educational institutions to complete their work and plans for lessons and preparation, as well as saving more time with the family, which enhances the quality of life and happiness, and leads to achieving unprecedented educational outcomes.

She added that the study revealed that great leaps have been made in performance indicators, productivity, mental health, and other important indicators in the educational community, noting that the decision to work for four days contributed to a qualitative leap in the quality and performance of all parties to the educational system, and enhanced its competitiveness and added a rich experience to its previous experiences that make it a successful and inspiring model.

In turn, Director of the Sharjah Private Education Authority, Ali Al Hosani, stated that the purpose of the study revolves around the extent to which the decision to work for four days compared to three days off per week achieves the expected goals, which include the extent to which they affect the quality of life of teachers directly and their reflection on the quality of education for students, and the extent to which families benefit from the three days, and how to employ them in an optimal manner that allows all parties to the educational system to benefit from them to achieve the major objectives that include enhancing educational capabilities, improving academic achievement and increasing cohesion Family.

Al Hosani stressed the amendment of school hours after the decision to work in school hours for four days, to suit the global average and in line with the educational outcomes of each curriculum, with close follow-up by the authority to the progress of work closely with schools and nurseries, and facilitate the implementation of the decision to achieve efficiency and effectiveness, in addition to participating in developing plans to make the most of the weekly leave (three days), to ensure enhancing the quality of life and developing behavioral and cognitive skills for learners.

The study revealed an improvement in academic achievement among students by 77%, an increase in students' social skills and relationships by 78%, an improvement in students' problem-solving skills by 74%, an improvement in time management, a 73% improvement in the level of academic achievement of homework, and an 78% increase in the time spent by students with the family.

About 7000,43 teachers and administrative staff who participated in the study, representing 90% of the emirate's teachers in private schools, felt that the decision contributed to improving work-life balance by 91%, increasing the general sense of well-being, quality of life and spending time with family by 88%, in addition to 86% improvement in the level of motivation to work for administrative and educational staff, 83% improvement in the productivity of administrative and educational staff, and <>% providing a better opportunity to complete the professional development of administrative staff and educational.

The educational and administrative staff also showed through the study the progress of male and female students in the basic curricula and the improvement of their learning motivation when attending school by 85%, while private educational institutions in the emirate witnessed an improvement of 85% in independent learning for male and female students through extra-curricular study projects, an improvement of 87% in daily attendance at school, and an 84% improvement in the participation of male and female students in extracurricular activities.

The study recommended employing the weekend, with the aim of raising awareness of the importance of mental health and quality of life for male and female students and teachers, the importance of sports and physical health for male and female students, enhancing awareness about activities, developing personal and cognitive skills, building partnerships with the private sector to explore and nurture creative and outstanding students, and encouraging activities in different forms to meet the needs of students according to their interests, in addition to increasing the cultural balance around Sharjah's landmarks and enjoying the weekend.

It also recommended spreading awareness among educational institutions and parents of male and female students about community empowerment frameworks and achieving effective and fruitful outcomes.

• The decision improved work-life balance by 90%.