News Dubai

13 DUBAI SCHOOLS FACE CLOSURE
BY MOHSEN RASHED

29 January 2006

The number of private schools housed in villas touched 65 all over the educational zones, except those schools affiliated to the Abu Dhabi Educational Zone. These schools are housed and operating in villas.

It is a familiar story of schools operating from buildings with special conditions and standards. The officials of the Ministry of Education (MoE) gave the owners and the principals of these schools a limited and final period of time, by the end of the academic year 2006-2007, to deal with such a problem. The MoE officials also warned them to either shift to new school buildings or face a reduction in the number of grades, if not closure. All educational zones in the UAE have received lists of these violating schools.

Gomaa Al Salamy, Assistant Under-Secretary of the MoE of Private and Qualitative Education Department, addressed the educational zones regarding that matter. These schools’ officials were ordered one of the following options: (i) decrease their educational stages (ii) restrict admission to only one gender — either only boys or girls (iii) cancel one of the curricula, especially those schools that adopt more than one curriculum, or (iv) face a final closure.

The Assistant Under-Secretary, Gomaa Al Salamy, called upon the educational zones’ departments to suggest the possibility of hosting the students of the private schools, in case of their being shut down or decreasing the number of educational stages, to other schools according to their curriculum, location, gender, grade level and the school fees. The departments of the educational zones should send their final reports regarding that matter by the end of February.

The Dubai Educational Zone has finished preparing its report regarding the list of the erring schools, which totalled 16. The officials of the Dubai Educational Zone recommended closing down 13 of them. About three of them have already closed down — Ohoud Private School, New Generation Private School, and Deirah Private School. The other ten private schools are: Al Anwar Private School, Dubai Pearl Private School, Al Rawda Al Asriya Private School, British National Curricula Private School (Al Manaheg Al Wataneyia Al Bretaniya), Little Folk English Private School (Al Raeyia Al Saghera), Pakistani British Private School, Al Alama Aqbal Islamic school, Bangladesh Islamic School, Russian Private School, and Al Farouk Pakistani Private School.

The Dubai Educational Zone also recommended reducing the educational stages of Marfad Private School and Fatima Private School. For Regent Private School, the administration of that school promised they would shift to another new school building in February. The officials of the Dubai Education Zone did not determine the fate of both Al Braem Al Ama and the Islamic Studies and Holy Qura’an School till now, as they will be granted another opportunity, being free of charge schools. The rest of the schools are affiliated to other educational zones, and some of them will be forced to decrease the number of their educational stages, while others will be closed.

Here are the names of schools listed in the other educational zones, which are housed in villas:

1. The Al Ain Educational Zone: Al Hemdaniya Al Kobra Private School, Shaikh Muhammad bin Khalid Al Nahyan for Generation Private School, Al Amal Private School, Teba Private School, Zahrat Al Madaen Modern School, Al Nasheen Private School, International Private School, Al Ain American Private School, the New Crescent Private School and Union Private School or Al Ittihad Private School.

2. The Western Region Educational Zone: Al Selaa Private School

3. The Sharjah Educational Zone: Al Faihaa Private School, Al Khalediya Private School, the New Generation Private School, Al Reqaa Private School, the Modern Arab Private School, Riyad Al Saleheen Private School, Al Taqwa Private School, Al Naseriya Private School, Al Oroba Private School, Culture Private School, Al Esraa Private School, Al Maroug English Private School, Montessori Private School, Al Rwad Modern Private School, Al Doha Private School, Indian Horizons New Private School, the Pioneer English Private School, Excellent Indian Private School, Spring Dell Indian Private School, Delta English Private School, New Hope English School, Al Amal English Secondary School, Islamabad Model School, Russian Private School, the New Filipino Private School, Modern Egyptian Private School, and the Sharjah International School.

4. The Ajman Education Zone: The Al Rashediya Private School, Future Flowers Private School (Zohour Al Mustabal), Al Saad Indian School and Middle English Private School.

5. Umm Al Quwain Educational Zone: The Al Shwyifat International Private School, New Indian Private School, English Private School, and East English Private School, or Al Sharq English Private School.

6. The RAK Educational Zone: The Al Manal Private School and Dar Al Oloum Model Private School.

7. The Fujairah Educational Zone: The Yanabee Al Merefa Private School.

8. The Sharjah Educational Office: The Al Ahliya Private School.