Interview with Mr. Waseem Al-Hanbali, Cambridge Assessment International Education Regional Director (MENA)

Edarabia had the chance to get an exclusive interview with Mr. Waseem Al-Hanbali, Cambridge Assessment International Education Regional Director (MENA). Mr. Waseem talked about plans to support the growing popularity of Cambridge programmes and qualifications in the region, and forecasted continued growth in demand for international education around the world.

1. Cambridge International has a growing community of over 10,000 schools in 160 countries. Can you tell us a bit more about Cambridge’s presence in the Middle East, in terms of school and student count?

Cambridge has over 600 schools in the Middle East and North Africa with around 17,000 learners from the region – these include around 120 schools in the UAE. Our international qualifications are recognised by the world’s best universities and employers, giving students a wide range of options in their education and career.

Our aim is to provide educational value through offering international programmes and qualifications. We work in conjunction with schools in the region to develop Cambridge learners who are equipped to succeed in the world.

2. How does Cambridge International support the growing popularity of Cambridge programmes and qualifications in the region?

More than 10,000 schools are part of our Cambridge learning community. We operate in 160 countries across 9 regions: North America, Latin America, UK & Ireland, Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East & North Africa, South Asia, East Asia and Southeast Asia & Pacific. We have Cambridge representatives in every region.

We provide a wide range of support to ensure schools are fully equipped to offer Cambridge programmes and qualifications. Our support is extended to principals, teachers, exams officers, as well as professional development and training departments.

Our regular events for principals and teachers give the opportunity to build up a strong community of Cambridge schools internationally. These events include Cambridge Principals Forums and our annual Cambridge Schools Conference. We also provide comprehensive support to help teachers deliver our programmes and qualifications successfully in the classroom. This comprises curriculum support resources, exam preparation materials, and training. Our secure Teacher Support site contains a wealth of resources including schemes of work, past papers, mark schemes, examiner reports and discussion forums.

In addition, without exams officers, it would be impossible to run and administer our exams successfully, so we ensure they have everything they need to run the process as smoothly as possible. This encompasses an online guide to administering Cambridge exams, free online training, video tutorials and an online tool for exams officers.

We are committed to delivering training and professional development through a number of routes to ensure maximum availability of support for teachers in all countries where our specifications are delivered.

3. Quality of teachers has been a recurring topic of discussion in education forums. What are some of the teacher training programs or initiatives you have found to be effective here in the region?

Our professional development supports Cambridge teachers to become innovative and engaged. We offer training, events, and teaching and learning resources to assist teachers in developing successful learners and improving their professional practice.

We conduct over 100 training workshops in the region annually and offer a variety of subject-specific and enrichment training focusing on methodology and classroom skills that are both very popular and successful.

4. Today’s event celebrates 87 secondary school learners with the Outstanding Cambridge Learner Awards in the UAE. How is this result compared to previous years?

This year, 96 awards were presented to 87 learners, an increase from last year’s 77 awards given to 73 winners.

5. Last year, Cambridge International had witnessed a 12% rise in demand at UAE schools. How would you forecast this growth continuing over the next 5 years?

Cambridge Assessment International Education is the world’s largest provider of international education programmes and qualifications for 5 to 19 year-olds. We expect to witness continued growth with the increasing demand of international education around the world and increased awareness of parents on the necessity to equip their children with the best preparation possible for the future.

6. In June 2016, six students from the UAE were acknowledged amongst the top performers globally. How does the UAE compare to other countries when it comes to excellence in IGCSE and A Levels examinations? What are the most popular subjects taken by UAE students?

This year UAE has 15 students who topped in world winners.

World’s Top Students (Winners List)

Most popular subjects among UAE students

1. Mathematics
2. Physics
3. Chemistry
4. Biology
5. Information and Communication Technology

About Mr. Waseem Al-Hanbali

Waseem Al Hanbali has a Business Administration Degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, USA, in 1985. He is the Regional Director for Cambridge Assessment International Education in the Middle East and North Africa. He has been working with Cambridge since 2000.

Before that, he was the Sales Manager for Technical and Administrative Training Institute, part of Bahwan Group in Oman.

Waseem has had an instrumental role in increasing Cambridge presence in the Middle Eastern market by organizing academic partnerships and securing agreements with influential organizations in the region. He has played a key role in signing education and teacher training projects in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman.