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After 22 years of life and laughters
AL AIN - Shahnaz Sultana sat alone in her old school, pensively looking around and recalling the past 22 years when the New Al Hilal Private School was brimming with life and laughter of students and teachers.
On the last day of the examination on Monday 26, the students left early and the school closed by midday, casting a gloom on the already sad spirit of the school owner.
“My heart is disheartened. Today is the last day of school, many parents are very sad,” said Sultana.
In its final notice last week, the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) gave the Pakistani school, as well as, the Indian curriculum Oasis Private School until the end of the month to wrap up everything and cease operation.
The two schools were the last of the seven villa schools in Al Ain that were shut down in succession for the past two years since the Adec planned to close down villa schools by 2013. Now, 41 schools remain in operation in the Capital.
“Adec gave us time to construct the building. They gave me one year. But we have no money to construct the building because we are running the school for the poor,” Sultana sighed.
She said her school only charges on an average between Dh125 and Dh150 a month per student. The school has 280 students from KG1 to Grade 7.
“We only charge as per their parents’ salary and 50 of our students get hundred per cent free education,” she added.
The school has some land in Manasir. However, Sultana could not find a sponsor to finance the construction of the school building because investors are deterred by the incapacity of students to pay the school fees.
Fathima Abdulla, a secretary of the school for the past three years, was equally saddened with the closure, not just because of losing her job.
“It is the end of an era for the school. And our very poor students, how will they be able to pay for their school? We have students with six siblings, and a mother with eight kids. That’s too much.”
The Adec reaffirmed on Sunday that students affected by the villa school closures will not have to pay more than 20 per cent of their current tuition fees to their new schools.
Additional concern was the curriculum of the alternative school. Oasis International School offers the Indian Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) curriculum.
The only option for the Pakistani students is to get admission at the two remaining Pakistani schools in Al Ain — the Al Ettehad Private School and Pakistani Islamic Private School — both in the Manasir area, which is only about six km away from New Al Hilal.
Most of the over 700 students at the Oasis Private School will have no worries shifting to the Oasis International School, which offers the same curriculum.
“Most of them are happy, but they are a bit concerned about the distance. The new school is a little far for them, about 15 to 18 kms away,” said Oasis Private School principal Abdul Manas.
The new academic year will start on April 8 and all students need to register to Oasis International by April 5.
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