Majority of private schools hope to reopen early in September |
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Monday, Jul 06, 2009
Gulf News
Dubai/Abu Dhabi: Most private schools have said they will open in the first week of September in the absence of any official notification from the Ministry of Education.
Schools said they are going ahead with their original plans, with some even claiming that they have obtained permission from authorities while discussions are still under way.
The ministry last week announced that all schools in the UAE will reopen after Eid Holidays on September 23, thus extending the summer break by another three weeks. In effect, though, this means that the schools will lose fewer than 14 working days as two weekends and Eid holidays will fall during the period.
The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) which oversees both private and public schools in Dubai said it is still awaiting clarification from the ministry regarding the opening of the schools.
"[The KHDA] has not contacted schools in Dubai about their summer vacation dates and has not made any statement concerning this matter. We are awaiting details from the Ministry of Education," said a statement issued by KHDA.
Dr Mugheer Al Khaili, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) told Gulf News that the ADEC feels that standardisation among all schools is important, especially since Ramadan is an important time of the year for students and families', and that a cooperative approach with the ministry is being taken to ensure that no child is affected by the decision.
"We are currently working on a solution to compensate for the lost school days with the ministry and will make sure a certain number of instructional days are introduced to make up for the academic days off during Ramadan," confirmed the director general.
A senior official at the ministry who wished to remain anonymous told Gulf News that the ministry cannot force private schools to follow its decision, even though it prefers that all schools start the new academic year at the same time.
"The ministry is currently busy meeting with different educational zones across the UAE and speaking with decision-makers regarding the matter. However, the decision at the end is up to the individual school and not us," said the spokesperson.
Most private schools maintain that their academic plans will suffer if they lose 14 working days, and hence they prefer to stick to their scheduled plan.
GEMSGEMS
, which runs the largest number of private schools in the country, said its schools will be starting on schedule unless otherwise notified.
Rob Stokoe, Director of the Jumeirah English Speaking Schools, said these schools will open on September 6 as per the original plans.
"Our students are competing with the international students and it is not easy to take away days from the academic calendar. As such, our students are working six days a week in terms of the projects, research and homework they do at home. It will be too much to expect them to work seven days a week to compensate for the lost days," he said.
According to Stokoe, the school will offer home study packs and tutorials for students who prefer not to come to school during Ramadan.
Salah Sararah, Director of Dubai International School, said in the absence of any communication from the ministry, the school will open as per the scheduled plans.
He added that, although teachers and students would be happy about a delayed start, it is difficult for schools to reschedule the academic calendar.
Even though the ministry prefers a standardised solution for all schools across the UAE, current meetings between the ministry, education zones, councils and private school administrators are still under way to take a final decision regarding private schools that have their own independent curriculum.
By Anjana Sankar, Senior Reporter, and Dina El Shammaa, Staff Reporter
© Gulf News 2009. All rights reserved.
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