According to the UAE National Assessment Programme (UAENAP) for public schools in Dubai and the northern emirates, the writing and spelling skills in Arabic and English language of around 40,000 public school pupils are far below expected standards, Gulf News has reported. However, the reading skills of students in the Arabic and English languages exceeded expectations and the science and maths abilities of the pupils were also up to the mark, Humaid Mohammad Obaid Al Qutami, minister of education, said. "The findings of the assessment will be used to overhaul the curriculum," he said.