New academic year begins for Indian schools in UAE

Dubai: It is the beginning of a new academic year for Indian schools in the UAE on Sunday. Children are excited to be back on their campus for a new school year after three week's holidays.

But parents are bracing up for a further strain in their budget with tuition fee increases and transportation charges.

One parent of the Sharjah Our Own English School, said he is re-planning his budget to accommodate the more than 100 per cent increase in transportation cost. "I have two children studying in Sharjah Our Own. And the bus fee has gone up from Dh100 to Dh300. That means I have to cough up an extra Dh400 a month on bus fee alone," said K.R, a Sharjah resident.

He added that with the current global economic crisis and job insecurities, it is a tough time for parents to shell out more for their children's education.

Sharjah Our Own English School has outsourced the school transportation to Bright Bus Transport Company, which parents allege belongs to the same GEMS group that runs the school.

"The whole outsourcing business is a ploy to hoodwink parents and make more profit," said Anupa, another parent.

What qualities are the most important when looking for the right school for your child? Why? Does a good school ensure a good student?

I'd prefer my child to attend a school where the curriculum is strictly analysed to be fool-proof and renderd to the students by experienced staff. An international exposure is very important for school-going students of these days as they gain knowledge by observation as well.The school must be affordable, the administration must follow strict rules with its students, exams must be fairly conducted and the students must be evaluated on their merit and must not be biased.I wouldn't look for luxuires like a swimming pool or after-school boarding for doing the homework etc, for I believe that students as members of their families must spend quality time with them as well.
Agniyah Shaikh
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: April 05, 2009, 16:31

The increase in transportation fee is reasonable up to some level i.e. 20-30%, but not 100%. Some parents may accept because of helplessness due to the unsafeness with private transportation.
R. Sekhar
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: April 05, 2009, 15:56

In any country good education is supposed to be provided at a very low cost. But i do not understand why the all these fee hikes and transportation is happening here. I think the relevant authorities should seriously look into this matter.
Suji
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: April 05, 2009, 14:01

A good school doesn't always need to represent a good student. The main factor to look for is the approach of the students according to the curriculum being followed. How active is the faculty by all means i.e. in education, activities, personality development etc. My child, a grade 5 student in a GEMS institution, does not have a space for playing. They just run around the school during P.E. period, sounds disgusting. Plenty of reasons for fee hike and what do they give our children?
Nej
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: April 05, 2009, 13:21

Yes, indeed i feel that quality education counts a lot these days in this competitive environment. The world has become so advanced that the student needs to learn a lot from a good school and grab more ideas. The fees and the teaching too plays a very important role when it comes to education. Simultanously if you have good teachers who teach you well I'm sure the student will come up in life. I passed out from OOEHS Dubai with an 80% and now I'm happy that I have got a job in an international company. thanks to all my professors and I really miss them a lot.
Mathew Litty
Dubai,UAE
Posted: April 05, 2009, 12:23

I think the present day education system is deviating from the basic idea of education. In my days, we just crammed the books into our brains and just spat out all that information onto the test sheets during exams. Once you got out of the exam hall, you have no idea how you have answered a question or what you wrote in the paper! Same thing is happening right now with children given questions, answers and told to learn and write exactly that and nothing else in their exam papers. I think quality education should invoke the child's imagination and force him/her to think and answer. And then gaining knowledge should be the aim and not the exams. I wonder if there is any school anywhere in UAE which caters to children's curiosity than their own principles of how teaching should be done.
Lakshmi Vinay
Dubai,UAE
Posted: April 05, 2009, 12:08

As a parent, I prefer a school with discipline, affordable fees and the school in which my child will get individual attention. I also prefer the schools to provide more opportunities for extra-curricular activities. More than anything i'm very much aware of the security of my children.
Fabitha
Sharjah,United Arab Emirates
Posted: April 05, 2009, 11:07

One thing I don't understand from the parents whose children are studying in such managed schools is that why do they still want their children to study in them when they feel that the school management always tries out new ploys to make money? I think the parents have got a choice of other schools in UAE. If i remember correctly, these schools have been trying to play all such similar games. ranging from tuition fees to other fees to make money since late 1980s. I feel that the parents should take a wide decision so to get a resolution.
Vasu Pillai
Al Ain,UAE
Posted: April 05, 2009, 09:31

The ouput from any school which has good and qualified teachers surely ensure a good future for the students.
Indu Manoj
dubai,UAE
Posted: April 05, 2009, 09:25

Transportation fee in Indian schools ranges from Dh100 to Dh200. The Bright Bus charges Dh300 within Abu Dhabi. It is GEMS own transport company and charge extra in the name of "Outsourcing".
Abu Bakr
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: April 05, 2009, 09:16

The school authority is just playing with us saying transportation service has given to outsource for our convenient they keep the same bus, driver and caretaker. In fact such kind of price hike force us to rethink.
Ihdina
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: April 05, 2009, 08:31

When looking for a good school, we want experienced teachers with skills to teach the child well. The bus facility should be safe. Outsourcing of buses is just a ploy to extract more money form parents by force, but not out of choice. How much can parents also bear?
Sammira Mohiadeen
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: April 05, 2009, 06:00