Dubai: The British Institute for Learning Development reopened on Sunday under a new management much to the relief of dozens of parents.

The sight of the special needs school’s new principal Kamal Fodil and its new owner Buti Saeed Al Gandi welcoming pupils early in the morning was especially reassuring for many parents.

“I was really surprised to find Mr Al Gandi at the school so early in the morning. It really showed how much they care. I’m really relieved and happy now and so are many other parents. A couple of days ago I was so worried about by child’s future and hopefully everything will be back to normal,” said Sulaiman Deen whose nine-year-old daughter is in grade 5 at the school.

The future of 53 children at the school looked bleak last week when the previous owner, Dr Chirstopher Reynolds, allegedly fled to Australia with the school’s funds, ahead of the scheduled reopening after the summer vacation.

The parents of the pupils were shocked to find the school closed on Wednesday morning with a notice on the school’s gate announcing the possibility that it would not reopen.

However, Dubai Education, the parent company of Canadian University in Dubai, came forward with an offer to take over the management of the school following intervention from the Ministry of Social Affairs, renewing hope among the shocked parents.

In a positive sign, almost all the staff at the school are back and the new management has decided not to tamper with the way the school functions.

“I’m happy that they are continuing with the existing staff and structure, which has been working really well. It’s important that the kids feel normal and there aren’t any drastic changes that could distract them,” said Sanjay Raina, another parent whose 14-year-old son goes to the school.

The school’s new principal Kamal Fodil, who is a specialist in special needs education, and has been working at the Canadian University in Dubai as vice-president of student affairs, said he is really happy to be back among the little ones.

“It’s nice to see smiles on the faces of the children and we will make sure that the smiles remain intact. I’m aware that they were very sad until a few days ago and I’m really pleased to help them in whatever way I can,” said Fodil, who has more than two decades of experience in the field of education.

Fodil expressed satisfaction with both the quality of staff and the staff strength at the school and said there is no reason to make any drastic changes. “I have been mingling with the staff since yesterday and I mingled with the kids today and it gave me a great feeling. It was really wonderful to see the passion of the teachers and the therapists while working with the children, they are all well-trained and know how to handle these kids,” Fodil added.

As a firm believer in inclusive education for children with special needs, Fodil said he will be working with the new management, Dubai Education, to turn the institute into a full-fledged school. “Inclusive education is the best way forward. There is no point having separate facilities for children with different abilities, so we are planning to expand the institution and convert it into a normal school,” he said.

Another important initiative Fodil will be working on with the staff is to have greater collaboration between the teachers and the therapists.

“I believe in collaboration and gradually I will be having both teams [therapists and teachers] working together so that they can work on strategies for different students more closely, hence it becomes easier for students to digest as well,” he said.