Dubai, 29 August 2006: Dubai International Academy, the Emirates Hills located school that opened last year, organised a special induction programme aimed at providing its teachers a better understanding of the school's vision, work processes and practices, and its goals for its second academic year, which commences on 3rd September, with over 1,000 students from 66 nationalities.
The four-day programme also served as an orientation course for the new batch of teachers from different nationalities, as they were able to interact with the Directors of the Board, senior administrators and existing teaching staff, and find out more about school ethics and expectations, in addition to general information about the UAE, how to respond to local sensitivities and different situations and challenges that they might face during their transition to a cosmopolitan and multicultural environment that exists in the UAE.
The highlight on the opening day of the induction programme was a thought-provoking presentation made by Mr. Hamdi Osman, the Regional Vice President of FedEx in charge of over 81 countries located in the Middle East, Africa, Indian subcontinent and CIS region, and Founder Partner and Board Director of Dubai International Academy.
His presentation, titled "Customer Experience", emphasised the importance of giving pupils and parents the same respect and excellent services that well established companies were expected to provide their customers, as part of their overall customer satisfaction and retention plan.
Addressing participants of the induction programme, Mr. Osman stressed on the need for teachers to adapt to, and address the various expectations of parents by being able to identify and resolve any issues quickly, intelligently and amicably, to help further improve the rapport between the school and staff, on one hand, and its 'customers', on the other, in this case, the parents and students.
However, he said that as much as ensuring that the teaching staff was cooperative with parents and pupils, a school also had to recognise the fact that teachers must be offered a satisfying work environment that will encourage them to perform even better.
Mr. Osman, surmised that though it was not conventionally linked together, education and pedagogy can both benefit from insights about customer expectations within the corporate and professional services sectors.
Speaking candidly of his experience of customer service offered by leading multinational companies, Mr. Osman used considerable wit and anecdotes ranging from ill-placed shampoo counters in hotels to under-sized blankets in some of the top airlines of the world to drive home the crux of achieving customer satisfaction.
"Staff satisfaction and customer satisfaction go hand-in-hand. In a school context, it means that teachers must be internally happy with their working environment. At the same time, they must see students and parents as their clients who need to be satisfied. Often, the key to a successful relationship will be a teacher's ability to negotiate the expectations of the parent and their own pedagogical beliefs and practices", said Mr. Osman, who is also a Board Director for the American Business Council, the Higher Colleges of Technology, Dubai Women's College, the American University of Sharjah, and a former Director of the American School of Dubai.
Ms. Poonam Bhojani, Business Director of Dubai International Academy provided participants an overview of the school's history, mission and the milestones that have been reached, and also set out the strategic priorities for the new academic year. This includes the launch of the IB Diploma Programme, increasing the number of extra curricular and community activities for students, initiating staff development programmes including IBO training workshops, implementation of academic rigor, and maintaining a positive work environment.
"I think the strategic goal of any school isn't simply to get top grades each year. You have to go beyond that - to build lifelong learners for the global knowledge economy and responsible citizens for an increasingly intricate world. At Dubai International Academy we are constantly investing in resources and infrastructure to empower its students with critical thinking skills and sensitivities that are vital for success in the 21st century", said Ms. Bhojani.
She emphasised how technology is being used by the school to provide students with the most modern infrastructure for learning. Dubai International Academy has a computer to student ratio of 1 to 3:5, campus-wide connectivity including a wireless environment, a web portal that can be accessed by students and parents in real time, plus the availability of comprehensive online learning tools such as Encarta, Britannica, Enchanted Learning and SIRS Discoverer.
Mr. Narendra Mehrotra, who has been appointed as the new High School Principal at Dubai International Academy was introduced to participants during the induction programme. Mr. Mehrotra has worked with the United World College movement for over 17 years, serving in Italy as International Baccalaureate (IB) Coordinator and member of the management committee, and over a decade at the world renowned Pearson College, Canada, where he taught chemistry and served as Director, Student Affairs.
Addressing the gathering, Mr. Mehrotra said, "I have been associated with the IB programme in so many different parts of the world. Yet, I believe Dubai offers one of the most challenging and interesting environments for an IB programme. Its cultural diversity and rapid economic expansion is both a challenge and an opportunity. And I am proud to say that Dubai International Academy is converting this challenge into an opportunity. I am also pleased to know that the school has taken the significant approach of giving their students the time and space to take up challenges and develop their creative skills. Young people will flourish in environments where they can be challenged. Only then, together with teamwork and commitment, will they be able to realise their full potential".
Mr. Clive Carthew, Academic Director of Dubai International Academy, said: "It has been a very insightful and rewarding year for us. During 2005-2006 we had 500 students enrolled. This year we have doubled that number and we are inducting 35 new teachers to sustain that growth. But for us, it isn't just about the numbers. It is about the team spirit that we have been able to inculcate throughout the school and the ideal of child-centered education that lies at the heart of this Academy's educational philosophy".
Mr. Donavon Reinsmoen, Principal, Elementary School, said: "Elementary education is a very critical part of Dubai International Academy. You could say that we provide the products for the rest of the Academy. Throughout all our elementary school programmes we never lose sight of the fact that kids matter most. At the start of each academic year we have many targets and goals in terms of what each student has to learn. It's a big challenge, and we work our way back to targets for each month and each week. Once those targets are achieved we try to push the students just a little bit more, constantly raising the bar. And through this entire process we try our best to keep our kids happy. We want them to be both happy and successful in life".
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Dubai International Academy
Dubai International Academy, located at Emirates Hills, aspires to achieve and set, within the framework of the Geneva-based International Baccalaureate Organisation, world-class standards of education and an all-round development. It has already acquired candidate status of the IBO for the PYP and MYP programmes, and endeavours to be the first school in the country to offer all the three IBO programmes (The Primary Years Programme PYP, the Middle Years Programme, MYP, Diploma Programme DP), thereby bringing the 'IBO World School' in the country.
The school has a student body of more than 1000 students from 66 different nationalities plus 127 staff members from 17 nationalities. It has over 80 classrooms and specialist rooms for music, art, dance, drama and language learning, well-equipped science and computer labs, networked libraries, climate controlled multi-purpose halls for a wide range of sports, swimming pools, playing fields, basketball and tennis courts, and a cafeteria in a vibrant and modern environment.
For more information, please contact:
Anosh Ahamath,
Bates PanGulf PR,
Tel: +971-4-295 3456;
Fax: +971-4-295 1027;
Cell: 050-7853956
E-mail: anosh@batespangulf.com
© Press Release 2006
