School lessons now include baby care and budgeting!

Daily Tribune

26-04-2025

Want to learn how to take care of babies, manage a family budget, and help out at home?
Well, guess what? These are now part of school lessons!
Starting in Grade 4, students are learning 'family education' with two fun lessons each week.
Children will get to try everyday tasks like washing dishes, managing water use, and keeping their room tidy.
As they progress, children will even learn how to care for babies, including feeding, bathing, and taking care of them, plus how to manage money—like saving and spending wisely.
'We want to help kids grow into responsible, caring people who can make strong and loving families,' says Education Minister Mohammed bin Mubarak Juma in a written reply to Shura Council member Dr Fatima Abduljabbar Al Koohiji.
'By the time you're in secondary school, you'll learn even more! You'll discover how to make budgets, support mothers during pregnancy, and learn important skills like changing diapers, helping babies sleep safely, and cutting down on family expenses.'
These lessons are part of subjects like Islamic Education, Arabic, and Social Studies, so you can understand how families work, how to share responsibilities, and how to treat everyone fairly. 'Everyone in a family, whether they're young or old, has rights and responsibilities,' says Juma.
Dr Al Koohiji had asked what the Ministry was doing to equip young people with the skills to manage family life, and how teachers were being trained for it.
To support this, the Ministry has launched training for teaching staff, including induction for new recruits and retraining for others. New teachers are getting extra help, and other teachers are learning new ways to support students who might have challenges at home.
The Ministry is also working with special organizations to make sure all teachers have the best training to teach these important life skills. So, get ready to learn all these amazing skills in school, and become a family expert!