Throwing lifeline for needy students in UAE

Dubai: Heads of educational institutions said the directive by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to provide financial aid of Dh30 million to more than 3,000 needy students in the country is like a lifeline for the children.

The National Charity Schools in Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman, under the patronage of businessman and philanthropist Juma Al Majid, educates 10,000 students.

Many of them are exempt from paying school fees because of the dire financial conditions of their parents, said Dr Mohammad Robin Edris, Director of the Schools.

"Juma Al Majid takes care of all the financial needs of the school. His schools do not generate any profit. He also helps educate expatriate and local students on his expense. We do have some budget shortfall and are in need to improve our facilities and equipment," he said.

"This initiative will help improve our quality of education," he said.

"It is a welcome gesture," said Dr Tapan Kumar Das, supervisor and head of department of physical education at the Indian High School. "Some parents lose their jobs and cannot support their children," he said.

Cannot afford

The principal of an Asian school said, "Providing education is like providing a fishing rod. If you just give the fish, you consume it and forget about it." He said there are families of certain communities who have five or six children and cannot afford to pay for their education.

Karam Mubarak, Principal of Al Manar Charity School in Ajman, said the school desperately needs such initiatives. "Our yearly expenses are Dh3 million," he said.

Over 3,000 expatriate children study free-of-charge, of which 300 are orphans. "We operate on basic equipment and our teachers receive the lowest salaries in the UAE," he said.

"We depend on charity events and individual donations to sustain our school. However, lately the community efforts are becoming less and less. Some of my students study and work to help feed their families, some of whom live in 12 to a room," he said.

Shobhana Verghese, executive principal of Our Own English High School, said it provides reduced fees for children of large families. "Our management understands not everyone is of the same economic level," she said.