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KT report on brochure mistakes infuriates school management

DUBAI — A front page story run by Khaleej Times on Friday about a promotional brochure containing 35 linguistic errors forwarded by the School of Modern Skills here to the Ministry of Education, has infuriated the school management which has hit back accusing officials at the Private Education Department, Ministry of Education, and Dubai Educational Zone of adopting double standards and a biased policy towards private schools.

The school denied receiving any reply from the MoE or the DEZ with regard to the presence of such gross mistakes in the brochure. The school has contended that the MoE has nothing to do with approval of the brochure.

The school management directly blamed the DEZ for the publication of the story in the newspapers. It branded the DEZ’s approach in dealing with schools as “illogical”, adding that it should have addressed the school management when it discovered those mistakes “instead of defaming it”.

It said the translation of the brochure was done by a media office and that the errors were discovered after the typing. The irony, according to the school management, is that an earlier brochure containing similar phrases was given the nod and neither the MoE nor the DEZ had objected to it.

On the reported nomination of the female principal who was rejected by the educational authorities for being unqualified, the school clarified that the same principal had obtained agreement twice to work as a private school principal but the school met the DEZ request and replaced her with an American one.

The School of Modern Skills has demanded that the Minister of Education open an immediate probe in what it called “defamation” and check statements issued in the name of the ministry so as not to keep the educational process under the mercy of employees accused by the school management of being “irresponsible”.

Speaking on behalf of the MoE and DEZ employees, an educational official urged the school management which levelled accusations at the ministry and zone and that both were not authorised to approve the media brochure or look at the executive regulations of the private education and federal law No (21) for 1999.

He referred the school article No (66) of the law which stipulates that no magazine or information bulletin shall be published without obtaining the prior consent from the ministry.

Therefore, the school’s reply was self-contradictory in some points. The school management affirms it has an American

principal and it is supposed that the principal and the management should be responsible for advertisements concerning the school in English language. No one accuses its teachers as unqualified in what has been published in the media.

The management of the Zonal Education welcomed investigation to announce to the minister of Education that the senior inspector of Islamic studies at the ministry is frequently on a visit to the Ministry’s office and the Educational zone to finalise the dealings and transactions concerning the school.

The Zonal education management disclosed that the said inspector is, in fact, partner in the school.

He often visited the Zone’s office threatening and warning the management of complaining to the minister in case of any delay in finalising the dealings of the school.

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