Dubai: Pupils have taken on the role of whistle-blowers and are eager to talk about their school through social media, said Dr Abdullah Al Karam, chairman, board of directors and director-general of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA).
He was talking on the sidelines of the opening of Credence High School, a central board of secondary school syllabus (CBSE) school in Al Khail, Dubai.
Also present on the occasion was Humaid Mohammad Obaid Al Qutami, Minister of Education.
Reacting to a question whether schools tend to apply pressure on pupils during inspection time, Al Karam said: “Some schools do go overboard and we do understand that. Look, the whole idea and thought behind inspection is new. We are at it for the last five years. It is just a matter of time when the culture sets in. But the good thing is that the pupils themselves are highly active on social media to talk about their schools. They are whistle-blowers.”
Talking about the newly opened Credence school, Al Karam said that as Dubai continues to grow, a rapid expansion in the number of schools is being witnessed. He said: “The Indian curriculum is one of the most popular in the emirate, and the Knowledge and Human Development Authority welcomes high-quality new schools to Dubai’s educational landscape.”
According to him, by 2020, about ten new schools will be opened in Dubai. He said: “The talk about long waiting lists in schools is just a perception and it is not as it is being stated. There are certain waiting lists in terms of outstanding schools and usually in the non-profit schools but then their percentage in terms of the whole system is very small.”
Credence High School follows the innovative XSEED programme of learning promoted by iDiscoveri, a widely acclaimed academic solution that focuses on collaborative learning and experiential educational programmes.
The promoters of the school are Dr Azad Moopen, chairman of Aster DM Healthcare, Nalapad Ahmad Abdullah, Managing Director, Nalapad Group Overseas, and Sameer K. Mohammad, Managing Director, Jaleel Holdings.
“We will have internal assessment tools that are innovative and will help measure a child on broader parameters and not just on his learning skills alone. We strongly believe that children should be prepared to face the challenges of tomorrow and our learning methodologies as well as evaluation parameters will be focused on getting the best out of a child,” said Dr Moopen.
Some of the features of Credence High School include a library with a museum ambience, state-of-the-art IT rooms, a 5,000 square foot fully air-conditioned dance and drama hall with wooden flooring, a well equipped indoor auditorium spread over 14,000 square feet that can accommodate 1,500 students which will also have sports facilities for tennis, badminton, etc, and an athletic-sized swimming pool. The school’s sports facilities include a football pitch with Fifa-approved artificial grass, a full length cricket pitch with floodlights, international standard volleyball court and a six-lane athletic track including a 100 metre dash track.
