Action plan for Dubai schools that fail inspections

DUBAI // Unsatisfactory schools in the emirate will be given an action plan while those performing strongly may be inspected less frequently, education chiefs have said.

The third round of assessments by the Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau (DSIB)will end in March. Eleven schools that have not met inspection criteria since 2008 have been visited three times, with a follow-up every three months.

Jameela al Muhairi, who heads the DSIB, an arm of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority, said the organisation was collating information for a trends analysis this year.

"After this cycle, we will have three years' data to see what progress schools have made so far," Ms al Muhairi said.

"The inspection strategy is under review, and we will be looking into a plan for unsatisfactory schools, the frequency of the inspections and the period of our visits."

Before the DSIB was established in 2008, schools were viewed as less accountable for the quality of education they delivered.

Its influence has managed to transform at least four low-performing schools in Dubai, although some have not shown as much improvement.

The Dubai Arab American Private School, one of the unsatisfactory schools, made only limited progress towards meeting recommendations, according to an inspection bureau report.

Pupils lacked motivation and learning remained weak, while teacher training was ineffective and senior positions were vacant, the report said.

Basic facilities, including the library, were poorly resourced, and the capacity of the school to improve was poor.

Wasfieh Sheikh, the newly appointed principal of the school, admitted a lot needs to be done to raise the quality.

"Teachers are undergoing training and we are involving the parents in our action plan as well, but we need more than three months to show DSIB any change," she said.

"We are trying our best. I just want them to give us a chance."

Annual inspections have been a point of debate for schools that have been performing well. Ziad Azzam, chief executive of the education group Taaleem, said that at some schools the gap between inspections was quite short.

"In certain schools where things have been alarming, that kind of frequency or perhaps even more frequent visits are justified," he said.

"But do allow the schools performing well at least two to three years to create that change and then by all means come back and check.

"In some cases, we turn around and say, 'Well, you were here six months ago and we haven't changed much'."

The inspection process, while stressful, had helped to identify weaknesses at Al Mizhar American Academy for Girls, said Delice Scotto, its principal. The school was rated "good" in the first two rounds of inspections.

"We have a whole list of things we wanted to do at the end of our self-study and have ticked some boxes, like improving our attendance," she said.

"Further on, I would like to conduct more professional development for my teachers."