21st Century Private Academy remains closed four days into the new academic year. Christopher Pike / The National
21st Century Private Academy remains closed four days into the new academic year. Christopher Pike / The National
21st Century Private Academy remains closed four days into the new academic year. Christopher Pike / The National
21st Century Private Academy remains closed four days into the new academic year. Christopher Pike / The National

Filipino school’s fate still in limbo


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ABU DHABI // More than 2,000 pupils at the 21st Century Private Academy are still waiting for classes to begin while their school remains closed four days into the new academic year.

On what was to be the first day of class on Sunday, several parents visited the Filipino school and were told by an assistant principal that classes were tentatively scheduled to resume in October.

“We tried to request written or formal information so we could hold on to it, but unfortunately she told us it should be coming from Adec,” said D P, a father of three.

When approached, the former assistant principal and the principal referred all queries to the Abu Dhabi Education Council.

“We haven’t heard anything from Adec regarding the start of the school year. About the concerns that we have about the payments, transfer from the old to the new operator, we haven’t had an official statement,” D P said.

Parents first learnt of the school’s temporary closure through a text message they received from Adec last month.

The message notified parents that the school was closed and a new operator would be assigned by Adec because the old operator, American Companies Management Group, had consistently failed to raise the school’s unsatisfactory standards.

The message also said “any payments to the old operator will not be counted towards 2015-2016 fees”.

Adec later said that parents should consider filing a lawsuit against the school’s former operator to recoup the money they had paid towards their children’s tuition for the academic year.

Some parents said they were optimistic the new operator would honour the proof of payments they had already made for the coming academic year.

“I’m hoping and praying that it will push through so that the burden is not on us any more,” said another mother.

M F, whose son will enter Grade 2 this year, said her questions had also gone unanswered.

“I called Adec two days back and they just told me to wait,” said M F. “I asked what’s the new operator, when are we going to start school? They said they didn’t know the date yet, but they would send us a message. So I’m just waiting.”

Visitors to the 21st Century Private Academy are being told to call the mobile phone of an employee who said he worked for the Philippine Global School, which he identified as the new operator of the 21st Century Private Academy.

“By next week, we will have a small meeting and give information to the parents and, inshallah, maybe after next week we will start enrolling the children,” said the employee, adding that parents would be notified of the meeting by email and SMS.

Asked whether the new operators would honour the fees parents had already paid to the former managers, the employee referred queries to Leticia Maniaul, managing director of The Philippine School in Dubai. Mrs Maniaul declined to answer questions about the 21st Century Private Academy.

“I don’t want to comment on anything because the situation is still in progress,” Mrs Maniaul said. “I will be the one to give information to everyone, but not in the newspaper.”

rpennington@thenational.ae

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Fixtures:

Wed Aug 29 – Malaysia v Hong Kong, Nepal v Oman, UAE v Singapore
Thu Aug 30 - UAE v Nepal, Hong Kong v Singapore, Malaysia v Oman
Sat Sep 1 - UAE v Hong Kong, Oman v Singapore, Malaysia v Nepal
Sun Sep 2 – Hong Kong v Oman, Malaysia v UAE, Nepal v Singapore
Tue Sep 4 - Malaysia v Singapore, UAE v Oman, Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu Sep 6 – Final

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League final:

Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports

MATCH INFO

Liverpool 2 (Van Dijk 18', 24')

Brighton 1 (Dunk 79')

Red card: Alisson (Liverpool)

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Arcade Fire

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The White Lotus: Season three

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Rating: 4.5/5

A new relationship with the old country

Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates

The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:

ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.

ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.

ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.

ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.

DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.

Signed

Geoffrey Arthur  Sheikh Zayed