Select schools in UAE to get grace time to cut student numbers

Sharjah - The Sharjah Ruler issued a circular last week to all private schools in the emirate to implement the order immediately.

Private schools in Sharjah are taking steps to implement strict measures to improve the quality of education and safety of students, school principals and education experts told a forum recently.
At the fourth forum organised by the Sharjah Private Education Authority, authorities of various schools confirmed that they would take immediate efforts to implement the directives issued by His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, including the one to restrict the number of students in a classroom to 25.
The Sharjah Ruler issued a circular last week to all private schools in the emirate to implement the order immediately. However, Huhadisa Al Hashmi, chairperson of the SPEA, told Khaleej Times that some schools, which require additional classrooms and more staff, would be given a grace period to implement the rule. Most of the schools used to accommodate 30 students and more in a classroom based on the rules of the Ministry of Education, but now they will follow the SPEA regulations set up based on the Ruler's instruction.
Al Hashmi explained that the SPEA has assigned a committee comprising education advisors and experts to work closely with school managements and guide them to improve the standard of education. The committee will conduct evaluation on private schools to measure the quality of education.
Safety first
The education advisors and private school principals agreed that safety of students in school is the top priority. The gathering also discussed the challenges that face the improvement of private education in Sharjah and methods to identify the problems and address them.
Al Hashmi said five school development experts have started to carry out their tasks to develop and improve the private schools, according to the agenda and programmes of the SPEA.
"The SPEA is encouraging the provision of quality services, and attracting investments in the field of private education. Throughout the year, inspection experts have visited 116 private schools in Sharjah, contributing to making qualitative changes in the educational process."
She added 116 private schools in Sharjah have 10 different curricula, with the largest in terms of the number of students being Indian curriculum. Three new schools have opened this month, which indicates the need for more private schools.
"The forum is a platform to bring school managements to sit with experts and advisors to discuss their issues and ensure the quality of private education. The forum also encourages collaboration among school community to be able to face the challenges," said Al Hashmi.
The authority also formed inspection teams to carry out surprise inspection and investigation inspections following complaints from parents. The schools were told to ensure safety of students is a top priority and instructed them to take all the measures to protect the students from injuries or any kind of danger.
afkarali@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE
• Sharjah