DUBAI // Results of the latest inspections at South Asian schools in the emirate were released this morning, revealing shortcomings including a lack of special needs support and poor Arabic teaching.
The Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau's 2011-2012 inspection results for Indian and Pakistani schools found that all three Pakistani schools, attended by 3,211 pupils, offered an unsatisfactory level of education.
Inspectors found several areas of concern and limited support and resources to raise standards.
Schools faced challenges in recruiting skilled educators and their governance and leadership was ineffective. "One striking feature of Pakistani schools is the positive desire of most students to learn and improve their lives through education," said the Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau (DSIB) report.
Inspectors also noted teachers at the schools had a strong commitment to improve.
Of the 21 Indian schools inspected this year, two received an outstanding grade. Ten were ranked as acceptable, seven as good and two were found unsatisfactory.
And, despite the progress made by some institutions - this is the first time an Indian school received a top ranking since the DSIB began inspecting Asian schools three years ago - the report paints a grim picture of the slow development across Indian schools in Dubai.
Two schools dropped to the acceptable category this year and no more Indian schools were added to the good list.
"After a rapid improvement in most areas within Indian curriculum schools from 2009-2010, the rate of improvement has slowed down and, overall, judgement of schools have mostly stayed the same as last year," said inspectors.
More than 60,565 pupils attend Indian schools in Dubai.
"There are still areas that require further attention to reduce the number of acceptable schools and increase the number providing a good quality of education."
Most Indian curriculum schools have poor support for pupils with special education needs, and insufficient effective specialist advice. Lessons were not tailored to pupils needs and those with learning difficulties did not make the progress they were capable of, the report found.
In key subjects evaluated - English, Arabic, maths and science - inspectors found a lack of practical application in lessons and minimal use of technology in many schools.
Only 57 per cent of Indian pupils have acquired an acceptable level of the language, the report stated. Though pupils use English more effectively now, they were limited to technical reading classes and did not have a deep understanding of different texts.
About half of the schools demonstrated good quality learning methods but pupils could not learn independently.
Pupils assessment techniques were also found to be underdeveloped in two-thirds of the schools inspected and eight per cent had unsatisfactory procedures, too.
Indian schools were commended for good leadership and strong parental links, but inefficient self-evaluation was hampering the necessary growth and improvements.
"School leaders are often overgenerous in their own evaluations of the performance of their own school and a few are simply inaccurate," said inspectors.
"The monitoring of teaching and learning by school leaders is not always rigorous or realistic enough."
The full report and individual school results are available here.
aahmed@thenational.ae
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Company%20Profile
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RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile
Started: 2016
Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel
Based: Ramallah, Palestine
Sector: Technology, Security
# of staff: 13
Investment: $745,000
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
The specs
Engine: 3.6 V6
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Power: 295bhp
Torque: 353Nm
Price: Dh155,000
On sale: now
KINGDOM%20OF%20THE%20PLANET%20OF%20THE%20APES
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Wes%20Ball%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Owen%20Teague%2C%20Freya%20Allen%2C%20Kevin%20Durand%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Listen to Extra Time
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
'Cheb%20Khaled'
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EArtist%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKhaled%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELabel%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBelieve%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO
Cricket World Cup League Two
Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
Namibia beat Oman by 52 runs
UAE beat Namibia by eight wickets
UAE v Oman - abandoned
Oman v Namibia - abandoned
The Penguin
Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Rating: 4/5
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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More on Coronavirus in France
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES
UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)
Saturday 15 January: v Canada
Thursday 20 January: v England
Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh
UAE squad
Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly, Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya Shetty, Kai Smith
BIO
Favourite holiday destination: Turkey - because the government look after animals so well there.
Favourite film: I love scary movies. I have so many favourites but The Ring stands out.
Favourite book: The Lord of the Rings. I didn’t like the movies but I loved the books.
Favourite colour: Black.
Favourite music: Hard rock. I actually also perform as a rock DJ in Dubai.
Lowest Test scores
26 - New Zealand v England at Auckland, March 1955
30 - South Africa v England at Port Elizabeth, Feb 1896
30 - South Africa v England at Birmingham, June 1924
35 - South Africa v England at Cape Town, April 1899
36 - South Africa v Australia at Melbourne, Feb. 1932
36 - Australia v England at Birmingham, May 1902
36 - India v Australia at Adelaide, Dec. 2020
38 - Ireland v England at Lord's, July 2019
42 - New Zealand v Australia in Wellington, March 1946
42 - Australia v England in Sydney, Feb. 1888
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Jawan
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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LOVE%20AGAIN
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All%20The%20Light%20We%20Cannot%20See%20
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl
Power: 153hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 200Nm at 4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: Dh99,000
On sale: now
JOKE'S%20ON%20YOU
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What is Genes in Space?
Genes in Space is an annual competition first launched by the UAE Space Agency, The National and Boeing in 2015.
It challenges school pupils to design experiments to be conducted in space and it aims to encourage future talent for the UAE’s fledgling space industry. It is the first of its kind in the UAE and, as well as encouraging talent, it also aims to raise interest and awareness among the general population about space exploration.