It will take some time to sift through the financial facts that led to the closing this week of St Andrews School in Dubai. School officials say the managing director, Christopher Reynolds, drained St Andrews' accounts before fleeing the country; Mr Reynolds denies that. Yet with debts of Dh890,000, and only petty cash remaining in the till, authorities will have their hands full managing the school's collapse.
One fact at least is not in dispute, even at this early juncture: special- needs children are the ones who will lose the most. The closing of St Andrews, one of Dubai's most expensive institutions (Dh20,000 or more per term) and one dedicated entirely to special-needs students, shows just how precarious the situation in this country is for expatriate students with learning disabilities.
As parents told The National this week, the burden of the school's collapse will fall most heavily on the children. "The pain is not for us," said a parent of a 5-year-old. "It's for my son, because he was conditioned that he's going to school and now the school is closed."
The academic year has already started, and so the school's 53 former pupils need immediate help finding new places. Parents and teachers are rallying to find a temporary solution. But they face long odds against recovering their money and finding anything like the type of education that vanished so suddenly.
Historically, the UAE's for-profit schools have done a dismal job of integrating special-needs students. Many schools simply refuse admission to children with autism, social disorders, physical handicaps or other conditions that make learning a challenge.
Around the world the responsibility for educating children who need extra help usually falls on the state. In the UAE, where expatriates and their employers must pay for education, there is a distinct shortage of services of all types for expatriate children with learning disabilities - and for expatriate adults with physical handicaps, for that matter.
As the country continues to develop, mechanisms of mutual support will surely emerge to meet these needs. In the meantime, however, a few stopgap steps suggest themselves, such as better government monitoring of all private schools, and greater parental vigilance about schools' legal and financial status. Perhaps it is even time to consider rules requiring private schools to allocate places for special-needs children.
RESULTS
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SPECS
Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)
Company%20profile
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Scoreline:
Manchester City 1
Jesus 4'
Brighton 0
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The Greatest Royal Rumble card
50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipAJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt
Casket match The Undertaker v Rusev
Singles match John Cena v Triple H
Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v Kalisto
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Napoleon
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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MATCH INFO
Fixture: Ukraine v Portugal, Monday, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela
Edited by Sahm Venter
Published by Liveright
England's all-time record goalscorers:
Wayne Rooney 53
Bobby Charlton 49
Gary Lineker 48
Jimmy Greaves 44
Michael Owen 40
Tom Finney 30
Nat Lofthouse 30
Alan Shearer 30
Viv Woodward 29
Frank Lampard 29
Remaining Fixtures
Wednesday: West Indies v Scotland
Thursday: UAE v Zimbabwe
Friday: Afghanistan v Ireland
Sunday: Final
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.