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Fail, fail & drop out

Students who fail in annual examinations and could not go on to higher classes are more likely to drop out from public schools, says a Dubai school inspection report.

The problem is more common among boys as highlighted in the 2010 Annual Education Report published by the Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau (DSIB).

The dropout rate in the emirate is twice as that of developed education systems, but the lowest in the region.

The Ministry of Education figures reveal that in the 2007-2008 academic year, 30 per cent boys failed their Grade 10 examinations, which meant another year in the same grade, or more commonly dropping out all together. Since 2005, the dropout rate has reflected the failure rate in the preceding year, states the annual report.

The needs of students who may require special education support or additional classes in some subjects are not being met which causes repeated failure. Of the students in any single grade, 47 per cent fail in the annual exams and are forced to sit in the same grade and 21 per cent drop out.

According to the Dubai Statistics Centre’s 2008 Labour Force Survey, 22 per cent of the male and 14 per cent of the female UAE nationals aged between 20 and 24 in Dubai are school dropouts.

During the 2009-2010 inspections carried out in 78 public schools in Dubai, it was found that in many classes, failed students are studying with others who are up to three years younger. This was common in badly performing public schools where several students were repeating the year.

As per the Ministry of Education (MoE) guidelines, a student who fails to pass the end-of-year tests cannot move up a grade. They are allowed to sit in the same class for up to three years. If they do not pass even then, they cannot continue.

Dr Abdulla Al Karam, director-general of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) said this was particularly prevalent in Grade 10 and among boys. “It could be triggered by the quality of education and overload of courses at this level,” he said.

However, Al Karam said there are other contributing reasons for high dropout rate among boys and the authority has teamed up with various academics and organisations to get to the root of the matter.

“We need to work with wider community and social authorities to understand the various social and personal reasons that force boys to leave the education system,” he said.

“The education system alone cannot be blamed and the different departments will work collectively on a comprehensive solution for the matter.”

Poor teaching and learning examples were more widespread in ‘Cycle Three’ (high school) for boys.

Inspectors noticed that students’ independent learning skills were not being developed, pushing the male students between the age of 16 and 18 years into boredom and a deterioration of behaviour.

Education standards detoriates in higher grades of public schools in general. While many primary public schools have displayed good progress — with three also receiving the ‘outstanding’ grade this year — high schools are still grappling with restricted subject choices, less instruction time and weak English language learning goals.

More than 90 per cent of the public school students who enter federal universities require remedial courses before they can enrol into college programmes.

Research fellow of the Dubai School of Government Natasha Ridge, who specialises in the public education system, recently published a paper on the issue of male dropout rate with recommendations. “The biggest issue is low expectations set for the students,” she said.

In her paper, she says many male teachers, around 80 per cent of whom are from countries like Egypt, Syria and Jordan, do not go through a pre-practicum session before they are hired and are not trained in pedagogy. Low wages and the concept of contract teachers also cause uncertainty and lack of commitment among the teachers.

“We need to think about where we recruit our teachers from,” said Ridge. “There should also be more secure contracts for these teachers so that they feel worthwhile.”

According to her, career counsellors and parental involvement also play an important role to ensure students do not fall off the education path.

afshan@khaleejtimes.com