Latest news
How to Master Education
Murdoch University, Dubai hosted its first Education Forum on How to Master Education, at Jumeirah Emirates Towers, last weekend.
How to Master Education opened a new platform for High School Principals and teachers to voice their triumphs, challenges and objectives when it comes to preparing school leavers for higher education.
Consisting of an audience of educators from various disciplines, the major issues surrounding high schools in the Middle East were brought to light. Murdoch University’s current students and alumni from the Master of Education Program were given the opportunity to present some of their research projects which they had put into practise in the real world. Nish Damji opened up a new debate on how she, as an early childhood practitioner, could improve the effectiveness of delivering bilingual English/Arabic education in the early years. Jennifer Mc Grath also presented her findings on the factors that influence international teachers’ decisions to leave their position. Surprisingly, age and leadership skills played a huge role.
The Panel, hosted by Murdoch University, Dubai’s President Professor John Grainger included:
- Angela Hollington –, Murdoch Med Alumni, Greenfield Community School
- Dr Samia - Chief Education Officer, Taaleem
- David Wilson – Director Asian Schools and Chief Academic Officer, GEMS Education
- Dr Paul Dillon – Head of Secondary Education, Australian International School
For more information on the Master of Education Program, please contact admissions@murdochdubai.ac.ae
Bowled Over
Murdoch University, Dubai’s faculty and staff decided to make use of the short break in the absence of lectures and assignments and participated in a bowling tournament last week, very kindly arranged by the Human Resources Department.
Hidden talents were showcased by some exceptional players, whilst weaker players allowed others to play for them and still scored lower. Nevertheless, all teams still played very well and in good spirits. Here’s what our team captains had to say:
Team Name: Pink Tornados
Team Captain: Lansell Pinto
“After being crowned the winners of the Staff Bowling Tournament, we are simply left speechless. Saleem proved to be our secret weapon and I think he even surprised himself with his bowling skills. We were also the lucky team to have Chris as our mentor”.
What Lansell has failed to mention is that this team played very quietly. As they say, it’s the quiet ones that you have to be aware of. Well done for winning the tournament. Human Resources have made a note to ensure that this team will be split up for all future tournaments.
Team Name: Wild Wild X
Team Captain: Farhanah Raza
This team was led by yours truly, me! We came second in the tournament and it was certainly no thanks to me. Proudly achieving second place for the worst individual score, my team played phenomenally well with Regan Castro doubling up as our very own admissions and student life officer, Antoaneta Dimitrova. Strangely, the make believe Antoaneta scored higher than Reagan! Of course, as we know all too well, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly didn’t just top the box office for the horses. Action stunts pulled by Clint Eastwood were also replicated by our dearly loved academic director, Johan Claasen. The only difference was, they were not intentional. Next time, please roll the ball and not yourself, Johan.
Team name: Bowling Roos’
Team captain: Raghav Lal.
It should come as no surprise to us all now that any team led by Raghav Lal will always be in the top three. Why? Because this team seemed to have all the strongest players. Unfortunately, the fatal error was made when Dr Mays Al Saffar, head of Human Resources, ended up in that very team. I’m sure this team would have been in the top two had it not been for her securing 1st place with the lowest score. Nevertheless, the team played exceptionally well with Biju Veetil, Usman Khan, Ehsan Khan and Pooja Kumar contributing to the high score. Here’s what Raghav had to say:
“Bowling Roo's Rocks"
Team Name: Red Riding Heroes
Team Captain: Gemini Chackma
I think it would be wise to reconsider the name for this team, since they were far from becoming heroes. This team, with their wonderful red capes scored the lowest. Showing a significant improvement and by that I mean and quote, Gemini Chackma, scored her debut strike in the history of bowling. Here’s what she had to say:
“Team members who claimed it was their first time bowling were either lying or have a secret bowling alley where they practice to no end. The lying suspects included Almalyn Tabar, Surjith Veetil and Pracaxa, who blazed the lanes with their multiple strikes and spares.” Gemini, that’s your entire team!
The Red Riding Heroes did have one rather mysterious player however. “The red team’s player, Bhakti Kapoor gave up very early on and allowed Pracaxa to bowl for her. She was all too happy to see her zeroes turn into fruitful numbers”.
Team Name: Purplicious Superheroes
Team Captain: Wynette Goes
Led by the vibrant Student Life Officer, Wynette kept everyone entertained with her energy and dance routines. Wynette’ s team played safe and secured a middle ranking with reputable results, although I do believe there was a very close resemblance between the red and purple team’s capes. I wonder what the Superheroes and Heroes were ultimately trying to achieve. Again, policies for imitating will be investigated further. Here’s what Wynette had to say:
“I am very proud of my team. They managed to understand the rules faster than other teams, despite never having bowled before. Saghir and Saadat played magnificently showing true superhero powers with Bernadine, Kathryn and Liliya maintaining the scores with their support power play tactics”.
find out more
Murdoch University, Dubai comes second in RAK Hospital Golf Tournament
Whilst Murdoch University, Dubai’s dream team were holding up the red flag at the GETEX 2012 exhibition, its senior management team were attempting to hold up the flag at the RAK Hospital Golf Tournament at the Tower Links Golf Club. Representing Australia, Murdoch’s very own Raghav Lal, Johan Claasen and Professor John Grainger led the team to 2nd place with their expert skills. Of course, additional help was required and we eventually learned that the man to secure their place in the runner up position was none other than, Samvit Chopra. We are yet to find out just who this professional golfer is and where he has disappeared to.
Murdoch University, Dubai reveals winners of 4th Annual Photography Competition
Murdoch University, Dubai’s 4th Photography Competition exceeded the expectations of the most experienced photographer this week as the winners were revealed at the Exhibition at Shelter, Dubai. His Excellency, Pablo Kang, Australian Ambassador inaugurated the event and congratulated the entrants and the university for the initiative. He went on to say “the photographs do full justice to the cliché of pictures speaking louder than words”. He also mentioned that “the scale of these things cannot be appreciated unless one arrives at them”.
Baal Dan visits to Murdoch University Dubai Campus
This week, Murdoch staff and students were treated to an inspirational presentation by Tanya Pinto, the founder of Baal Dan, a US-based charity whose mission it is to help orphans and street children in India. After volunteering at Mother Teresa’s Orphanage in Calcutta in 2005, Tanya decided to dedicate her life to improving the lives of vulnerable children in India by founding Baal Dan Charities.
Guest Lecture on ethics by the Editor At Large of Gulf News, Francis Matthews
Imagine the surprise when Murdoch’s Media students were treated to a lecture on ethics by the Editor At Large of Gulf News, Francis Matthews instead of Johan Claasen?
Not only was this a guest lecture to highlight laws surrounding media and journalism in the UAE but also an exciting insight into the life of a journalist who has studied in depth about Islamic history and is fluent in Arabic! Francis spoke about the importance of portraying the truth in any story, how you told the truth was entirely your prerogative and therefore made for interesting journalism. The smallest story could spiral out of control if not handled carefully, particularly if it exploited an organisation’s reputation. Many companies will file law suits for “damage to reputation” but if the story is true, came from a reliable source and could be proven, even the most powerful organisations would be forced to retract. Francis also spoke about criminal and civil scenarios that journalists could be prosecuted for. However, having studied the media culture in UAE and being the man behind some of the most controversial stories, Francis claimed to have seen a much wider acceptance of freedom of press. This still doesn’t include the freedom to write openly about political happenings.
Francis mentioned that in the1970s and 80s, media was a matter of record, TV was terrible, radio was very local and there were no satellite TV’s or internet access. However, things did not remain the same and later in 2000 there was easy access to all forms of information for society. Media is now accepted as an important part of the way society operates where on-line and social media plays a very important role.
For the future, Francis said that the government and society will “look for a greater role from media and this means that journalists have to become more informed and better able to handle complicated stories”.
Murdoch University, Dubai empowers women at The Women’s Lunchbox 2012 - 20/02/2012
Murdoch University, Dubai's debut Women's Lunchbox 2012 set a precedence for all academic institutions as it launched in true Murdoch style with a panel discussion on one of the most talked about topics; Social Media: Return on Investment. A ballroom of 200 women from various disciplines was filled to the brim as women expressed delight to have been invited to an event where they were given a platform to excel and network with like-minded professionals.
Murdoch Sharks basketball coach leads team to victory against Heriot-Watt Hawks first match of the season - 18/01/2012
Murdoch University, Dubai’s basketball team, Murdoch Sharks set the scene for what appears to be an exhilarating basketball season. The team enjoyed a 81-75 victory at Heriot-Watt campus on Wednesday night. Coached by professional basketball player Wilbert Sayson, the team played first line attack with the most attempts on target.
National Bonds teaches students to save - 10/12/2011
Murdoch University in Dubai saw the Business Cup Challenge draw to a close last night with the two finalists from Cambridge International School, Dubai and Cambridge High School, Abu Dhabi battling it out for the Business Cup Trophy presented by Professor John Grainger, Pro-vice Chancellor, Murdoch University, Dubai and Mr Syed Haseeb Zaidi, Head of Sales and Distribution, National Bonds Corporation.
Nawaf Al-Janahi Attends Season of Film Finale - 30/11/2011
Last week Murdoch University hosted the finale of its Season of Film in collaboration with DIAC. The Season was a new initiative by Murdoch University in Dubai to create an appreciation of film amongst its students and members of the public. Over the last three weeks Murdoch University in Dubai hosted screenings of short films by popular local directors.
