Dubai’s Indian and Pakistani schools fail to make progress in ratings report

A total of 6,333 pupils in two Indian schools and one Pakistani school are not receiving an acceptable education, the latest schools inspection report reveals.

The report released by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) hopes that the recommendations will provide an indicator to schools about what they must achieve for a higher rating. Jeffrey E Biteng / The NationalShow less

DUBAI // Indian and Pakistani schools have been urged to raise the bar by the emirate’s private-school regulator after the latest inspections resulted in no improvement in rankings.

The inspections also found that 6,333 pupils in three schools were not receiving an acceptable education.

Two Indian schools with 4,743 pupils and a Pakistani school with 1,590 children were deemed “unsatisfactory” in the Dubai Schools Inspection Board report released on Thursday.

Gems Modern Academy and Indian High School maintained their “outstanding” rank, while only one Indian school, JSS International, increased its ranking from the “acceptable” to the “good” category.

The remaining schools did not move from the categories they were given last year by inspectors.

Dr Abdulla Al Karam, director general of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), called for collective responsibility.

“Regardless of curriculum and fees, we have to shift gear,” Dr Al Karam said. “Don’t just look at your school, look at other schools to achieve better results.”

This is the fifth year private schools were monitored by the Dubai Schools Inspection Board (DSIB), and inspectors covered 25 Indian schools with about 75,000 pupils and two Pakistani schools with 3,300 enrolled.

The board also inspects schools with other curriculums, and the reports are published later in the year.

As many as 60 per cent of schools have remained in the acceptable or unsatisfactory category since 2011, said the report released by the KHDA.

The private schools regulator hopes the findings will help schools to aim higher.

Inspection board chief Jameela Al Muhairi listed a strong work ethic, excellent maths and science skills in secondary-school pupils and close partnerships with parents among the strengths of Indian schools.

Ms Al Muhairi asked all schools to work towards education targets that are part of the country’s 2021 national agenda.

The UAE aims to be among the 15 highest-performing countries in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study and the 20 highest-performing countries in the Programme for International Student Assessment.

“Though we have witnessed significant improvement over the past five years, there is still room for development,” she said.

“Many schools have made some changes but not enough to take them to the next level, so they must work harder. Some schools are very close to reaching the target, others are lagging behind.

“Schools must work with us to focus and refine their priorities.”

Two Indian schools kept their outstanding rank, eight are rated as good, 13 as acceptable and two as unsatisfactory.

Four new Indian-curriculum schools that opened last year have not yet been inspected.

Bilva Indian School will open in Al Qusais on Saturday. Its high-tech campus will take on children from nursery age up to Grade 6 in its first year after gaining approval from KHDA.

Of the 75,000 pupils attending the Indian-curriculum schools in the report, 41,240, or 55 per cent, were in good or outstanding schools, up from 37,589 pupils in 2012 to 2013 – an increase of only 3,651.

Of the remaining Indian school pupils, 28,468, or 39 per cent, attended schools that were graded as acceptable and 4,743 attended unsatisfactory schools.

In Dubai’s two Pakistani schools, about 1,717 study at the Pakistan Educational Academy, which went from unsatisfactory to acceptable last year, and another 1,590 are enrolled at Sheikh Rashid Al Maktoum Pakistani School, which remains unsatisfactory.

The Al Farooq Pakistani Islamic School, rated as unsatisfactory throughout four years of DSIB inspections, shut last year.

Indian and Pakistani school leaders blame their low fee structures – parents pay between Dh4,000 and Dh10,000 a year – for their inability to attract experienced teachers.

But authorities said it was a school’s responsibility to provide professional teaching, and called for hands-on leadership and continuous assessment of teachers.