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Abu Dhabi embarks on education reforms

Reforming the present education system is no easy talk. But, it is a task that needs to be accomplished soon if the capital wants to produce students set for higher education.

The Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) aims to close the 20 per cent variance the best and the worst private schools in the emirate within the next 10 years.

“We’re not happy with the performance of some of our private schools. We feel that the national engagement is not where it should be, especially in our private schools,” said Dr. Rafic Makki, director of Planning and Strategies at ADEC. To assess private schools’ performance, ADEC conducted two rounds of inspections in the 2008-2009 academic year and the other in 2009-2010 through independent international inspectors.

All 184 private schools were rated against nine standards this year. Interim results showed that a majority of private schools had failed to reach the criteria, specifically on the school’s overall effectiveness, quality of teaching, quality of school facilities and building and efficiency of school management and leadership.

Dr Khamis Mugheer Al Khaili, Director General of ADEC said that 68 per cent of the private schools using purpose-built buildings were found to be ‘below satisfactory’, 20 per cent were ‘satisfactory’ and a mere 12 per cent deemed ‘good’.

This is an alarming ratio considering that 60 per cent (165,000) of students in Abu Dhabi are enrolled in private schools out of which 31 per cent are Emiratis.

Dr. Makki pointed out that these findings reflected on those pursuing higher education. “Nine out of 10 students entering our largest federal institutions require a bridge programme, meaning they are not ready for higher education,” he said.

One of the schools inspected early this year is the Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Bangladesh Islamia School, the only Bangladeshi school in the emirate. Its Principal, Mohamed Sanowarul Alam, said that the school inspectors seemed ‘satisfied’ with their school, despite charging a very low tuition fee ranging from Dh300 to Dh400 per month from each of its 550 students. He said the inspection report has already been submitted to the school advisory committee that comprises parents, the school owner and a representative from the Bangladesh embassy.

Some of the improvements noted by the inspectors involved the study material specifically for Grade 11, the computer laboratory and the use of projector in the classroom to teach lessons effectively. “We’re going to apply those things. We’ll try to carry it out by the end of this year,” said Alam.

Principal Munira Abu Bana of the Emirates Future International School in Mussafah said two rounds of inspection were conducted last month in the school, a week dedicated to the secondary and primary level each.

“They looked into different areas and they seemed satisfied with the academic (programme), our clinic, safety and security and the administration of the school,” she said, admitting that a setback in the process was the issue of transport. “They advised getting seat belts fixed but the buses don’t belong to the school,” she asserted.

Another issue was the absence of a counsellor for Grade XII students for advice on their university and major choices.

“This is the first year since we started offering Grade XII, so we don’t have one, but we have hired a guidance counsellor and are also working on the recommendations,” she said.

Although private school principals have commended the inspections by ADEC in an effort to standardise the education system, some felt that the council should also take into account the financial limitations of the school.

“It is definitely a good initiative, however, they should not only look at the British standards but should keep in mind the (financial) resources of the school,” said Thaudhry Muhammed Munir, principal of the Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Arab Pakistan School. The Pakistani school has yet to undergo inspection.

“My students pay Dh300 fees per month, what do you expect out of that? All these are interrelated. We are trying to meet the standards as much as we can (but) what they want is beyond our means until we get help from other sources,” he remarked.

ADEC said it encourages investments in the private education sector, which is growing at a five per cent annually.

“ADEC will provide investors who are dedicated to providing affordable quality private education with all the required support and assistance in order to meet the increasingly growing demand,” Dr. Al Khaili said.

In the next 10 years, ADEC hopes to welcome around 150,000 new students into the system assuming that the national population of students grows at two per cent a year and the expatriate student population grows at a rate of seven per cent per year, according to Dr Makki.

With these figures in mind, ADEC has set out a two-pronged strategy to reform the emirate’s education system, which includes long-term and short-term goals.

For the long term, a new school model covering all aspects of the education system will be introduced starting for the next academic year from Kindergarten to Grade III. The succeeding academic year will cover a higher grade until it is fully implemented across all levels within 10 years.

“We estimate that 67,000 students will graduate by the time we fully implement our long-term strategy, and we have put in place a strategy to help them be more successful,” Dr Makki said.

Some of the short-term strategies include extending the time dedicated to teaching subjects like maths and English in public schools, and improving the proficiency of students in the Arabic language.

ADEC Statistics

184 private schools in Abu Dhabi

120 private schools (accommodating 112,000 students)

57 in Al Ain (accommodating 48,400 students)

Seven in Al Gharbia (accommodating 4,554 students)

60 per cent (165,000) of students are enrolled in private schools

31 per cent of students in private education sector are Emiratis

There are 305 public schools

An estimated 67,000 students will graduate by the time ADEC fully implements its long-term strategy

There are 13 different curricula in Abu Dhabi

ADEC has approved 19 new school licences out of 126 applications creating capacity for 23,000 students.

Inspection process started in 2008-2009 academic year

Second round of inspections in 2009-2010 academic year

As of January, ADEC employs over 14,000 teachers, advisers and staff

ADEC’s inspection standards and criteria include:

1. School effectiveness

2. Standards and progress achieved by students

3. Students’ personal achievement

4. Quality of teaching

5. Curriculum to meet students’ needs

6. Students’ well-being

7. Quality of school facilities and buildings

8. School resources and efficiency to achieve teaching and learning goals and objectives

9. Efficiency of school management and leadership, and its ability to achieve set goals education.

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