Abu Dhabi, May 04: Only five of the 210 schools inspected in Dubai have been awarded full points in the second round of scrutiny that concluded in March.
The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) confirmed on Monday that three public schools were among the five that received the rating of “outstanding” from the Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau (DSIB).
The second round of DSIB inspections were conducted between October 2009 and March 2010. In the first round, which did not include Asian schools, four out of 189 schools received top honours. The KHDA report will be made public later this month.
The outstanding public schools were Manhal Kindergarten, Al Nukhbah Model School and the Childhood Development Centre. GEMS Wellington International School and Kings Dubai School are the private schools. Public schools did not figure in this category last year.
On the other hand, most of the private schools deemed outstanding in the first report have been downgraded, owning to tougher evaluation by the authority in Arabic and Islamic Education. Kings Dubai is the only school to have retained its status.
GEMS Wellington International School (GWIS) is the only provider of high school education to receive the outstanding rating. The others cater to lower grade students.
The schools have been applauded for student responsibility and learning skills, self-evaluation, safety measures, assessment procedures and parental engagement.
Mel Curtis, principal of GWIS, said the result reflects the ethos of the school. “The staff and students have embraced a rigorous learning agenda, which has enabled outstanding learning to take place throughout the school,” she said.
Seven other GEMS-run schools have received a ‘Good’ rating. Ralph Tabberer, Chief of Schools, said they had invested in teacher training and quality enhancement. “Investment has been made to improve the quality of Arabic and Islamic studies,” he said.
“Some schools have invested heavily in improving early years while others have improved the ways in which they track and assess student progress.”
Most of the schools owned by Taaleem, the second largest education provider in Dubai, have also received a favourable report. Clive Pierrepont, Head of Communications, said four schools have received positive feedback. “All our schools barring one have achieved a ‘good’ status,” he said.
–Agencies–