Some Dubai schools can opt out of inspections

Dubai’s education regulatory board has allowed some of the emirate’s schools to opt out of the standard annual inspection routine.

Allowed only for the ‘Outstanding’ and ‘Very Good’ schools, the inspection routine can be changed according to their choice.

In a press note, Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) said that the top schools will be given the option of a differentiated inspection based on self-evaluation, allowing them to focus their resources on giving back to other schools.

This means that schools that opt out of the annual inspection must undertake self-evaluation, and share their best practices with other schools.

Sharing their success stories, KHDA believes, will help in improving the education system.

Titled Abundance Group project, this will see “mutually beneficial, long-term learning partnerships established between schools”.

While school self-evaluation is already a part of the inspection process, under the Abundance Group project, it will be the one of two criteria for ‘Outstanding’ and ‘Very Good’ schools.

“At this stage, we believe it is essential to map out a different way forward; a smarter approach that makes good use of the abundant knowledge, skills and talents our schools have, and enables them to share these with others in Dubai,” said Dr Abdulla Al Karam, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director General of KHDA.

“We are confident that schools in Dubai will continue to improve in future, and we trust in the commitment to excellence that our highest achieving schools have shown,” he added.

Schools signing up for the Abundance Group project will be invited to attend a design-thinking session at the start of the next academic year in September, KHDA said.

“The KHDA’s Abundance Group initiative is an innovative programme that will help Dubai’s schools continue to improve through greater collaboration,” Christopher Stone, Chief Education Officer, Gems Education, said in an e-mail statement to Emirates 24|7.

“We at Gems will support any initiative that works to improve the education sector, in support of the UAE National Agenda, Dubai Future Agenda and the overarching Dubai Expo 2020 theme of ‘connecting minds, creating the future’.”

Parents, however, were unsure how the new module would pan out. “Will schools ever lower themselves in the ranking? I don’t know how this will work?” quizzed parent PA.

Another parent asked how the school fee framework would work under the new system.

The move comes in line with KHDA’s support of the UAE National Agenda, Dubai Future Agenda and the overarching Dubai Expo 2020 theme of ‘connecting minds, creating the future’.  The number of schools that have been rated Good or better has risen to 29 in 2015-16, up from four in 2008-09.

As per the 2016-17 school inspection report, there are 16 ‘outstanding’ schools and 13 schools are ‘very good’ schools in Dubai.

The 'very good' category was introduced this year to make the transition from 'good' to 'outstanding' "more realistic" and "achievable".

 To read the full report visit www.khda.gov.ae

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