Dubai: Private schools in Abu Dhabi are struggling to meet the mid-October deadline to register new students on ESIS system as many children do not have an Emirates ID, XPRESS has learnt.

ESIS or Electronic Student Information is a fully automated online process introduced by the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) to establish a comprehensive student database of all public and private schools in the emirate.

Schools must scan the Emirates ID of newly-enrolled students and their families to complete the registration process. There is no clarity on the deadline as some schools told XPRESS they have been asked to complete the process by October 7, but others said it is October 15.

“We had received a circular from ADEC during the latter part of June stating that all new students should be registered through ESIS by October 7. But the problem is many of our new admissions have just moved to the UAE, and it will at least take a month for them to get their Emirates IDs,” said a senior official at an international school.

The school said they have around 300 new students for this academic year and they are still chasing over 120 families for their Emirates ID.

ADEC warning

“We have been told by ADEC that unless we have the child’s Emirates ID copy uploaded onto ESIS before October 7, the student’s details will be deleted from the system,” said the official who requested anonymity.

Another international school that started the new academic year this month said they are also facing similar problems.

“We have around 80 students who have not submitted IDs. As far as we know, the deadline to scan the details from the card is October 15,” said a school official.

Meanwhile, ADEC has come out with a statement on the issue.

“The deadline for private schools has always been October 15, and schools are aware of it. It is the schools’ responsibility to communicate the deadline to parents. However, for students who have just arrived in the UAE, an exception may be permitted by providing the right documents and report cards, because it means that they will join after six to eight weeks from the start of school,” said an ADEC spokesperson.

“For students who do not have an Emirates ID, the eSIS system will still accept an Emirates ID application number. As per ADEC admission policy, the pupil should be a UAE resident to be accepted in the schools, and the Emirate ID/application number is the proof that they are in the process of issuing a resident visa,” he added.

ADEC introduced the eSIS system to enhance their future planning process by introducing new schools and curriculums in areas where there is a demand and supply imbalance. Also through eSIS, all student information data including student results, student absences, student transfers from one school to another and other important data pertaining to parents will be available online.