Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Gulf News
Abu Dhabi Four villa schools in the capital serving 3,980 pupils will shut down by the end of the academic year, the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) announced yesterday.
This latest raft of planned closures means that almost half of the private villa schools in the emirate of Abu Dhabi have closed since 2009. Just three years ago, 72 were in operation compared to just 37 now.
The move could mean a jump in fees for parents, with Adec only confirming that tuition fees for pupils displaced by the closures will not increase by more than 20 per cent.
Of the schools left, 32 plan to build replacement schools and are working to receive Adec approval, while two others will close by the end of the 2012-2013 academic year.
The schools currently earmarked for closure are the Al Dhafra Private School (American/British curriculum), the Al Manara Private School (Ministry of Education curriculum), a branch of the Al Taawan Private School (British curriculum) and Al Talae’e Private School (Ministry of Education curriculum).
Safety concerns
The closures are a result of health and safety concerns in the current premises where the institutions are housed in non-purpose-built villas.
Yesterday, a spokesman of the licensing and accreditation division at Adec’s Private School and Quality Assurance Centre told Gulf News that parents regularly approached the regulatory body for school seats, “especially arriving from Indian and low-cost Ministry of Education (MoE) curriculum private schools”.
He added; “We are awaiting the establishment of new Indian schools in March 2013 and creating more MoE releases for proposals for ex-government schools in September 2012.” Among the schools closing down this year, Al Dhafra will move to a new building in Mohammad Bin Zayed City by the start of the next academic year in September.
Parents of currently registered pupils have been encouraged to apply for priority placements by June 28.
It is not yet clear how the system will work to accommodate all pupils.
Al Manara Private School will operate from the former Al Qemma and Omair Bin Yousef government school buildings in Baniyas when the new academic year begins. Existing pupils will also be offered priority placements if they apply for enrolment before June 28.
Meanwhile, the management of the Al Taawan Private School has made arrangements with another private school for priority enrolment of current pupils.
Adec also confirmed that the closure of Al Talaa’e Private School was caused by a failure to fulfil a legally binding commitment made with Adec to build a new school facility.
Priority placement
Pupils enrolled at Al Talaa’e have, however, been offered priority placement for the next academic year at the new premises of the Al Manara Private School and at the Yas Academy. Parents have been urged to apply before June 28.
Hamad Al Daheri, executive director of the private schools and quality assurance sector at Adec, said he hoped that like Al Dhafra Private School, many other villa schools would work towards moving to new buildings.
He said: “Each villa school that has committed to construct a new building must work hard to meet all of the Adec’s licensing requirements without any delay, and complete construction at the earliest once all necessary approvals are obtained.”
factfile
purpose-built institutes
n 72 villa schools in operation in 2009
n Six villa schools closed down in 2011-2012 academic year
n 37 villa schools in operation after July 2012 (7 American curriculum, 12 British curriculum, two Filipino curriculum, 11 Indian curriculum, 5 Ministry of Education curriculum)
n 2 of these schools to close by the end of the 2012-2013 academic year
n 32 villa schools have signed undertakings to build replacement facilities and relocate for the 2013-2014 academic year
Source: School Improvement Division, Private Schools and Quality Assurance Sector, Abu Dhabi Education Council
— S.Z.
By Samihah Zaman?Staff Reporter
Gulf News 2012. All rights reserved.
