19 failing Dubai schools left out of inspections

STANDARDS CHECK: Nineteen schools in Dubai have been left out of full inspections to begin in October due to unsatisfactory standards. (Getty Images - for illustrative purposes only)

Nineteen of 22 schools in Dubai that were rated "unsatisfactory" by education chiefs last year will not be included in the full inspection to begin in October, officials have said.

The decision to leave out the failing schools means that they will continue to stay in the "unsatisfactory" grade unless they show enough improvement in follow-ups and justify inclusion in subsequent full inspections.

“There are three schools that have been identified to move to the full inspection,” said Jameela Al Muhairi, chief of the Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau in comments published by Khaleej Times on Wednesday. “The rest need to, unfortunately, take steps to move to the full inspection.”

The second cycle of inspection by the bureau will begin on October 4, at the end of which more than 200 schools will be categorised from outstanding to unsatisfactory.

“In the coming months we will visit the schools to make sure they fit the full inspections. If they have not made any progress we will go and check on them again,” Al Muhairi told the paper.

In 2008, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority began quality inspections in Dubai schools to raise the standards of education.

Schools were allowed fee increases based on the grade they received with outstanding schools able to raise fees by 15 percent and unsatisfactory schools by seven percent.

Schools have been divided into sets, with the first set of inspection being conducted between October and December in 82 public and private schools and the next between January and March.

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READERS' COMMENTS

Failing schools in Dubai
Posted by DM, Dubai, UAE on Friday 2 October 2009 at 11:27 UAE time


I could not agree more with the comments from SR. The very schools that need support and encouragement to improve are those that have been identified as failing. Why are inspectors spending their time visiting schools that were given 'outstanding' last year when they could be giving assistance and recommendations to those schools that most need it?

Missing something!!
Posted by SR, Dubai on Wednesday 30 September 2009 at 09:10 UAE time


Am I missing something here??? Unsatisfactory schools are the ones that actually need further assessment to ensure that some meaningful improvement can be done.
Further, rating of schools simply to justify fee increase is useless. If at all the unsatisfactory schools are more justified in increasing fees than the rest. What measures are implemented to ensure that these schools have taken steps to improve the weak areas?
Further, rating given should be more transparent. I.e. critical success factors identified and weightages assigned should be available to the parents.

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