Only 31 national teachers at Dubai’s private schools

Dubai’s private schools need to work harder to meet the needs of Emirati students, with the staggeringly low number of Emirati teachers in private schools at less than one per cent.

The revelation was contained in a new report released by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA).

“Emirati students comprise about 14 per cent of the total student population in private schools but Emirati teachers are only 0.2 per cent of the total teacher workforce in the 148 Dubai private schools,” read the report.

Only 31 female Emirati teachers are a part of the private schooling infrastructure in Dubai — with more than 30,000 Emirati students receiving education in these schools. The report stated that the low number of Emirati teachers could “impact the development of national identity”.

“Clearly there is a need for more research on this subject as we need to analyse the reasons for the low number of Emirati teachers in private schools,” said Head of Research at KHDA Kaltham Kenaid.

Dubai has a total of 227 schools, consisting of 79 public and 148 private schools and the new figure has put a spotlight on the need to recruit more Emirati teaching staff in private schools catering to Emirati students.

“The total number of Emirati teachers may be limited but private schools need to make an effort to recruit them and meet the needs of Emirati students,” said Kenaid.

She believes the trend needs to be analysed and researched further.

With new schools being set-up in the city every year, an increasing number of expat teachers are recruited to meet the development needs of students.

“The student population across Dubai’s private schools has more than doubled over the last 10 years, with the number of private school students increasing each year during this period,” noted the report.

While these private schools are becoming increasingly popular with the Emirati community, the low number of Emirati teachers may raise concerns among parents.

“According to Emirati parents, the main reason for choosing a private school is better quality of teaching and learning … Over the last 10 years, the proportion of Emirati students in private schools has also increased from 34 per cent to 56 per cent,” stated the report.

While the numbers of Emirati teachers in private schools seems insignificant, the 79 public schools in Dubai have a large number of Emirati teachers — numbering more than 1,150.

The detailed 50-page report ‘In Search of Good Education — Volume 2’ provides an insight into the development of Emirati students in Dubai’s private schools. It is available online on www.khda.gov.ae.

muaz@khaleejtimes.com