Tag Archives: weather
Dubai puts cap on school fee hike
Dubai puts cap on school fee hike Dhanusha Gokulan / 17 February 2014 Annual hike to be not more than 5-7% depending on performance: DEC Schools in Dubai will not be allowed more than an annual 5-7 per cent hike in fees based on performance rates awarded by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) and even when the education cost index (ECI) records high costs. The Dubai Executive Council (DEC) announced its decision on Sunday to place the school fee cap depending on the schools’ performance. An official said that the annual school fee hike must not cross the rating awarded by the KHDA based on the school’s performance evaluation index. Parents, according to the annual school fee rise cap, would only have to bear a maximum of 5-7 per cent hike annually during the over-inflation times while investors would have to bear much more than that percentage. Schools rated ‘outstanding’ shall be given a seven per cent increase, school rated ‘good’ will be given six per cent, schools rated ‘acceptable’ and ‘poor’ shall be given five per cent. These projections released by the DEC add that if the cost of education index is negative or zero, then no increase will be allowed. The education costs index is measured by gauging the operational charges paid by a school. The resolution explained that a framework would be developed to give the schools the right to apply for restructuring their fees if the inflation rates negatively impacts the profitability and development of their services. The education costs index for the year 2013 saw an increase by 1.74 per cent as compared to 2012, based on the reports released by the Dubai Statistical Centre (DSC) and the KHDA. According to Abdulla Al Shaibani, Secretary-General of DEC, the decision is aimed at keeping the vision of good education at an acceptable fee to students and guardians. “The function of the council is to adopt policies that will contribute to meeting the needs of Emiratis and residents in Dubai and increase the competitiveness of the emirate socially and economically,” he said. This decision, he said would encourage schools rated ‘outstanding’ and ‘good’ to carry on by giving them better profit rates than schools rated ‘acceptable’ and ‘poor’. The cap would also help regulate the general inflation rate in the emirate by restraining the inflation on education within acceptable levels. According to the KHDA’s current fee framework, outstanding schools will be eligible for up to a 3.48 per cent raise, good schools are eligible for up to 2.61 per cent and the rest will be granted up to a 1.74 per cent rise. In a statement issued to the Press, the authority said that every school in Dubai has been directly informed of the changes by the KHDA. Some of the school authorities that Khaleej Times tried to get in touch with for a response on the decision said that they are still trying to fully understand the ruling and a detailed circular will be issues to parents and stakeholders. Staff salaries accounted for 60 per cent out of the operational charges at private schools, followed by rent, maintenance fee, and electricity and water bill, along with other factors that have been included in the calculation of the education costs index. dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Restaurant transforms dining tables into interactive tables
Restaurant transforms dining tables into interactive tables Afkar Abdullah and Amira Agarib / 17 February 2014 Guests can browse through the menu, see pictures of each dish, read the descriptions, place their order directly from their table to the kitchen and then watch it being prepared on ‘Chef Cam’. From choosing your own ‘tablecloth’ designs to watching videos of the ordered food being prepared, Dubai’s first smart restaurant offers it all. As part of Dubai Smart City, this amazing restaurant uses interactive technology to transform dining tables into smart interactive tables that provide innovative ways to make the customer’s experience more interesting. People are flocking Ebony Restaurant — the first of its kind in the UAE and Middle East — not just to satisfy their taste buds, but to also experience ‘smart dining’. The dining tables here are smart touch screens in which guests can see the menu, order their food and connect to the Internet, too. The multi-cuisine restaurant offers African-Mediterranean fusion dishes, Arab, Asian and popular international food. The interiors of Ebony restaurant at the Bay Avenue Mall, Dubai— KT photo by Rahul Gajjar With just a touch, guests can browse through the menu, see pictures of each dish, read the descriptions, place their order directly from their table to the kitchen and then watch it being prepared on ‘Chef Cam’. Customers can also choose the ‘tablecloth’ from a range of images, or watch videos, read current news, check their Facebook timeline, share their photos, send greeting cards to other tables and even order a taxi home. Zeinab El Agib Mahmoud, a Briton of Sudanese origin, owner and general manager of the restaurant, explained that there are two methods to log onto the Ebony table menu. In the first, a customer can scan his/her Facebook profile picture on a small square on top of the menu selections. If the customer doesn’t have a scanner, the system will be activated from the control panel on the Point-of-Sale (POS) computer by the hostess. Once activated, the customer has to choose the language: English or Arabic. The customer can also browse the selection options by pointing to the menu box at the edge of the table, which brings a drop down of the options. They can have their Facebook timeline displayed, or view photos and share them with their companions on their individual seats on the table. The multi-cuisine restaurant has dining tables that are smart touch screens. The media option in the table shows a wide selection of videos and photos where customers can choose their background wallpaper. Default videos or photos can also be set for a number of tables. This is usually done for company events where company logos and presentations can be shown on the table screens for all the guests. The same is done for family occasions, like birthdays, where photos can be displayed on the tables and shared with fellow guests. A selection of cartoons is also available to keep children entertained while waiting for their food. “The idea occurred to us (Zeinab and her husband) because of our IT background,” said Zeinab. “After our sons graduated and got married, we decided to do something beneficial for us and for community. We thought of launching a restaurant and in order to give our customers a unique dining experience we combined it with latest technology, excellent ambience, interesting food, and efficient, friendly service.” “We decided to choose Dubai as it already considers itself a smart city. We moved from the UK to Dubai and started the project in 2013,” she explained. “We not only pride ourselves on our innovative technology, but also on our delicious food. Our menu is a fusion of African, Arabic and Mediterranean cuisines. We combine North and East African flavours to create dishes that are original and very tasty. The food is contemporary, traditional and international,” said Zeinab. “The food meets the highest standards and every customer who leaves our doors is fascinated and excited to come back.” The restaurant is located in Bay Avenue Mall at Business Bay. afkarali@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
New curbs on carrying rupees to India
New curbs on carrying rupees to India Issac John / 17 February 2014 Under the amended Customs Baggage Declaration Regulations Indian citizens will no longer be required to fill immigration forms when they return from abroad. Passengers entering India through its international airports will have to specifically declare Indian currency at the customs if the value exceeds Rs10,000. Effective from March 1, under the new customs rules, passengers arriving at the country’s 19 international airports, will also have to specifically declare, for the first time, prohibited goods and dutiable items, including gold jewellery and gold bullion exceeding the free allowance. However, under the amended Customs Baggage Declaration Regulations Indian citizens will no longer be required to fill immigration forms when they return from abroad. They have to fill up the immigration form only when they go out of the country. In a new detailed form, passengers will have to give details of countries visited in the past six days and mention the passport number on the new customs declaration form. A notification issued on February 10 by the finance ministry said from March 1, passengers must fill out a new detailed customs form that also asks them to declare number of baggage, including hand baggage. The new ‘Indian Customs Declaration Form’ will be different from the detachable perforated strip, which is a part of the current immigration card. For the first time the Declaration Form carries additional fields for declaration of dutiable and prohibited goods, which will help authorities in checking customs duty frauds and keep a record of gold jewellery and bullion being brought into the country. Old fields like declaration of satellite phone, foreign currency exceeding $5,000 or equivalent, aggregate value of foreign exchange including currency exceeding $10,000 or equivalent, meat, meat products, dairy products, fish or poultry products and seeds, plants, fruits, flowers and other planting material have been retained in the new format. Male passengers are now allowed to carry gold worth up to Rs50,000 and female passengers twice as much. Non-resident Indians can take foreign exchange, but they have to declare amounts exceeding $5,000 or equivalent or when the total value of foreign exchange (currencies, travellers cheques) exceeds $10,000. India’s has 19 international airports in Srinagar, Amritsar, Jaipur, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Guwahati, Nagpur, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Goa, Bangalore, Chennai, Calicut, Coimbatore,Tiruchirapalli, Cochin, Trivandrum and Port Blair. In August 2013, the Reserve Bank of India slapped new foreign exchange controls restricting the amount of dollars Indian companies and individuals can spend overseas, and banned people from buying property in foreign countries and imposed fresh curbs on gold imports as part of a strategy to shore up the rupee. Under amended rules, an individual can spend $75,000 from the earlier $200,000 in any given year. Companies can now invest only up to 100 per cent of their networth in overseas locations, a fourth of the previous level of 400 per cent. issacjon@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
