With reference to the article Inspection system gets top marks (May 11): it seems parents like many journalists have failed to do the maths. The purpose of these school inspections was to raise standards at schools, right? Well, let us measure such school improvements using the inspection results as published by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) for the years 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 for the 175 schools that were inspected in both academic years.
For this purpose, and to simplify the maths, we will award Outstanding schools a score of four points, three points to Good schools, two points to Acceptable schools and one point to Unsatisfactory schools. Now if you use this scale and total all of the points that were awarded to schools in 2008-2009 you will find that the total is 390 points. What is shocking is that the total number of points awarded to schools in 2009-2010 was nearly identical, coming to 391 points. That is no improvement on the macro level.
Now let us look at data in more depth and you will notice that year to year 148 out of the 175 schools either slipped in standards or did not change at all; again no added value and no improvement, by KHDA standards. So really these inspections that have cost the government tens of millions and that have increased the cost of schooling to parents were only to push a few schools to improve into what is deemed by the KHDA to be "Acceptable". Basel Shouly, Dubai
In response to Licence plan for fitness instructors (May 67), it seems to me like a case of cutting out the competition. Westerners always say theirs is the superior fitness programme, so all other nations must follow their programme since any others are inferior. Also it means more regulatory bodies and more jobs for those who are jobless, and a higher cost of physical training. The best way to train is one hour walking in the morning and one hour in the evening, come summer or winter, and you don't have to pay for it. John Doevichiski, Abu Dhabi
Fitness training should be from a trained professional. Nobody should be allowed to open a gym and operate without guidelines. I think a regulatory body is required and could improve things. The same should be done for swimming, yoga or any such activity which have to do with people's health. Ranjit Ravindran, Dubai
The article by Justin Thomas, Is image really everything? It's time to see a psychiatrist (May 12) dealt with the culture of narcissism. Three cheers, Mr Thomas! The paragraph on the self-esteem movement should be read out through bullhorns on rooftops throughout the city. I'm doing my part by capping the number of my Facebook friends at five. I've two slots available. Ted Baxter, Abu Dhabi
In reference to the article Motorists get ID card amnesty - for now (May 11), my advice is that the Emirates Identity Authority (EIDA) should be lumped together with the Residency Department because they share the same information. So at the time when the residency permit is issued, the ID card should also be issued. And this can be done electronically. An employee at the Residency Department can send a message to EIDA to issue the ID card and send it by postal service to the applicant. I believe that within two or three years everybody in the UAE will have an ID card. Osama Abukhdair, Abu Dhabi
Teaching staff at the Higher Colleges of Technology register numerous complaints in the article Pay frozen, rises hit and job losses loom as universities feel the pinch (May 13). The school fee allowance for these teachers is Dh80,000. I am a doctor, who saves lives in the UAE. I work in the public sector just like the teachers do and my education allowance for three children is a total of Dh36,000. With this discrepancy in mind, I think the teachers should stop whining and have their education allowance lowered to my level. Hormaz Dastoor, Abu Dhabi
I refer to Rym Ghazal's opinion article Secret agent men often hide their ordinary minds (May 13). There are secret agents everywhere, but we never pick up on their presence. Why worry about who may or may not be an agent when we are already being monitored through the many gadgets we use and the internet?
Omar, Abu Dhabi