New teachers have been briefed on Dubai International Academy's vision and values.

Dubai International Academy held its third annual Induction Programme to educate the new batch of teachers on the school’s expectations, and set fresh goals for its returning staff in the new academic year.

The new academic year commences today, with over 1,400 students from 74 different nationalities.

The week-long Induction Programme at the Emirates Hills located school that opened in 2005, served as an orientation course for the new batch of teachers from diverse nationalities, as it also gave them the opportunity to learn about the UAE and how to make a smooth transition into the multicultural setting of the country.

Asked why they chose to join DIA, most of the new teachers said they decided to join the school because of its unique vision, its multicultural environment, and the programmes that it was following within the framework of the renowned Geneva-based International Baccalaureate (IB) organisation.

DIA has been authorised as an IB World School and is endeavouring to become the first school in the country to offer the continuum of all three IB programmes, the Primary Years Programme (PYP), Middle Years Programme (MYP) and Diploma Programme (DP).

The highlight on the opening day of the Induction Programme was a presentation titled “The Power Of One” made by Hamdi Osman, the senior vice-president of FedEx in charge of over 81 countries located in the Middle East, Africa, Indian subcontinent and CIS region, and Founder Partner and Board Director of Dubai International Academy. 

Addressing participants of the induction programme, Osman drew many similarities between high achievers in business and in other spheres including education, and pointed out that teachers were cast in the role of service providers, parents were their customers and the children, their products.

‘If you are in the service business you are there to serve the customer well. You’ve got to differentiate the way you do business, and the best way to do it is by taking the service to a new level,” he said, adding that the teaching staff of DIA had the ability to make a difference to the future of their students.

He also suggested that if only teachers could try to understand the psychology of the parents on an individual basis, they would be able to identify and resolve any issues quickly, intelligently and amicably, to help further improve the rapport between the school, staff and parents.

Emphasising the fact that one person could make a difference, Osman referred to the “greats” and “geniuses”  including Albert Einstein, Nelson Mandela, Thomas Edison, Isaac Newton and Guglielmo Marconi.

“Each of them made a difference that had a huge impact on the world. They are the kind of people who can see what others cannot see. Even in a team one person can make the difference. If the leader is successful the team is successful. Without a leader, the team will fall apart,” said Osman, who is also a board director for the American Business Council, the Higher Colleges of Technology, Dubai Women’s College, the American University of Sharjah, and a former Director of the American School of Dubai.

Providing an overview of the rapid growth of Dubai’s economy, Osman said Dubai will continue to champion innovation, dynamism and entrepreneurship.

“So, whatever you do at DIA, is really going to benefit what’s going to happen in Dubai. It will leverage the growing Knowledge Economy to become a regional hub for financial services, technology, education and healthcare services”.

In her welcome address to participants, DIA executive director Poonam Bhojani said the school had made remarkable achievements during the past two academic years with the student population increasing from 510 in the first year to over 1,400 from 74 different nationalities, and the staff<