Half the schools in Dubai are not good, says KHDA

Half the schools in Dubai are not good, says KHDA Muaz Shabandri / 30 April 2013 Most private schools in Dubai continue to remain below ‘good’ quality as school education in the emirate noted limited improvements last year. The findings were announced following the completion of Dubai School Inspection Bureau’s (DSIB) fifth cycle of school inspections. “There are currently 63 private schools in Dubai offering a good or better quality of education, a similar number to last year. These schools educate approximately half the total number of students who attend private schools. There are also 80 schools which continue to provide a quality of education below the expected ‘good’ level for Dubai,” said the report. A total of 143 schools have been inspected and most of these schools have been evaluated by school inspectors for five years in a row now. With 80 of the 143 schools needing significant improvements, the inspection results raise significant questions about the school education system. Most students in Dubai schools receive only an ‘acceptable’ quality of education as recommendations have been made year after year by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA). A major area of concern for educators remains in teaching Arabic as an additional language to expat students. The report noted ‘very slight’ improvements in students learning of Arabic as an additional language. It said: “Students attainment and progress in this subject remain weak in a significant proportion of private schools in Dubai.” Most students coming out of Dubai schools do not get an opportunity to learn Arabic after enrolling for higher education in private universities in the UAE. The problem leads onto limited conversational knowledge of Arabic for students who graduate to find employment in the Middle East. Addressing the issue, DSIB Chief Jameela Al Muhairi said: “It is not about the curriculum because all students follow the curriculum provided by the UAE Ministry of Education. We recommend schools to use new methods of teaching Arabic by creating an interactive learning environment. Schools also realise the need to recruit the right teachers.” Another major concern remains the inclusion of children with special education needs (SEN). Most schools are still not able to identify students with special learning needs and the education regulator is placing special emphasis to help track such students. The KHDA report also noted UK and Indian curriculum schools are the most popular among students in Dubai. Talk less, Indian teachers told TEACHERS at Indian schools need to talk less and give students more time to work with each other, the KHDA has said. Noting the need for improvements the report read: “Teachers in most of these schools should reduce the amount of time they talk in lessons and increase opportunities for students to discuss, collaborate with each other, find things out for themselves and explore links between their learning and real-life contexts.” The recommendations were made in a 36-page report outlining key findings of the latest school inspection cycle. Earlier this year, another report released by the authority in January had noted: “Teachers in Indian schools do not consistently demonstrate a confident grasp of best international practice.” muaz@khaleejtimes.com Taylor Scott International