Dubai: Around 90 parents in Dubai have signed a petition against the closure of their children’s inclusive school at “short notice and for no decent reason” to later reopen as a full-fledged special needs centre.
Oasis School in Al Safa is a British curriculum school established in 2012 as one of the first and only schools teaching mainstream and special education needs (SEN) students under one roof. It caters to pupils from Foundation Stage to Year 6.
On February 21, Dubai Education, the school owner, decided to transform the school by the end of the 2015-2016 academic year into a Learning and Development Centre in September.
This change in the school model means the centre will only accept students with major special education needs. Mainstream students and those with minor SEN will have to transfer elsewhere.
The new centre will operate under licence from the Ministry of Community Development (formerly Ministry of Social Affairs) and no longer under the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA).
Alisdair Holmes, parents’ support group chairman, collected 90 signatures and testimonials from parents and students who oppose the change and gave it to authorities. “This 14-page testimonial is to make people aware that their criticism of the inclusive model — that it doesn’t work — is actually incorrect,” said Holmes, who has a mainstream daughter enrolled at the school.
“The model does work and our children are very happy where they are and we’re happy with the standards of education they’re receiving.”
Holmes said the exact reasons for the shift were not disclosed to them, but were based on an unpublished inspection report by KHDA.
“The main concern of parents is the fact that the system is working. If you could give us a real, valid, decent reason to tell us that [school model] is not working … it’s understandable.”
Meryem Farhi, who has a child with minor SEN registered at Oasis, said the four months’ notice they were given was not enough as school admissions at this time are already closed. Transferring pupils to other schools would also incur added costs.
“We can’t afford other schools that charge Dh60,000 in tuition fees. Other schools require shadow teachers. At Oasis, they’re not required. This is an additional Dh3,000 per month for us,” said Farhi, whose son’s tuition costs Dh42,000 a year.
Farhi said besides the additional cost, their children will also be badly affected.
“We need to give our children time to grow up in a loving environment and that’s what Oasis School does. Mainstream kids learn from SEN kids. They develop empathy and a sense of care for each other,” Farhi said.
A spokesperson from Dubai Education said the decision to clarify the school’s mission and change licensing bodies was taken to provide better services to a significant part of the student population and the wider UAE community.
“Many parents of children that will be remaining with Oasis have expressed their support and satisfaction with the change,” the spokesperson told Gulf News in a statement.
He said no more than 70 pupils would need to move to another school, and some pupils can remain at their parents’ discretion. The official also stressed that Dubai Education is committed to assist in the process.
“We are providing full support for all parents to place their children and once the decision was taken we immediately started liaising with schools in the same geographical area to ensure space was available and a dedicated staff member at Oasis was made available to assist parents,” the spokesperson said.
Oasis School has also offered to refund fees on a pro-rata basis and pay assessment and registration fees for the students wishing to relocate.
When contacted, Mohammad Darwish, Chief of Regulations and Permits Commission at KHDA, told Gulf News: “KHDA approved the school management’s request to discontinue educational services at the Oasis School. The school and KHDA are committed to assisting parents in finding alternative places for the 100-odd students currently studying at the school.”
Darwish said the move is in line with KHDA’s thrust to ensure every student has access to quality education in Dubai’s private schools.
No reason was provided, however, as to why the school was deemed “extremely far below [KHDA] standard”.
