Abu Dhabi: In a bid to ensure the efficient resolution of parental concerns, a new system will be launched to streamline the handling of any complaints, senior education officials announced in the capital today (September 9).
The system is expected to be operational within the next four weeks, Hamad Al Daheri, executive director of private schools and quality assurance at the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec), told Gulf News.
“It will provide a mechanism for dealing with any parental complaints. While some schools are already able to efficiently handle these, we hope the new initiative will push all schools in a similar direction,” he added.
The system was announced in the capital at a forum held for private school leaders.
While the majority of concerns will still be handled directly by the school, parents will be able to use the new system to ensure that their complaints are monitored by the Adec. Through it, they will be able to register a complaint on the Adec website, and this will be forwarded to the school. The school will then solve the complaint via email correspondence, and the Adec will be notified when a resolution is reached. Schools that display efficiency in dealing with such parental concerns will also now meet one of the criteria to apply for fee increases. This criteria has been included for the first time, Al Dhaheri said.
There are currently five other criteria which makes a school eligible to apply for fee increases, especially if it has not been granted an increase in the previous academic year. These include an improvement in school rankings, recruitment of new teachers or salary increases and professional development for staff, investment in infrastructure and learning resources, focus on recruiting Emirati teachers and enrolling Emirati pupils, and efforts to integrate pupils and teachers with special needs.
“If a school meets at least one of these criteria and has had no fee hike or violation in the previous academic year, it can apply for an increase. Of course any changes in fees, if approved by the Adec, must be communicated in writing to parents,” the official added.
