Number of ‘good’ or better Indian schools drops in Dubai

Dubai: The number of Indian schools in Dubai rated ‘good’ or higher has dropped to 15 this year compared to 21 last year, it was revealed on Wednesday.

In a series of tweets beginning on Tuesday night, Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) announced partial results of ‘Dubai School Inspections 2019-2020’ for Indian and Pakistani schools.

Good or better

This academic year, four Indian schools improved their rating from good to ‘very good’ while 11 schools received a good rating. The number of students in the schools that improved their rating is 6,000. In the latest round, 32 out of 34 Indian schools were inspected.

In the KHDA tweets (@KHDA), there was no mention of any ‘outstanding’ Indian school this academic year. A fuller picture of the inspections is expected on Thursday.

Last academic year, 21 Indian schools (out of 31 inspected schools) were rated good or higher, accounting for a record 73 per cent of students in Indian schools. One school (GEMS Modern Academy) was rated outstanding, 15 rated good, five rated very good, nine acceptable and one (Gulf Model School) rated ‘weak’.

No Indian school had slipped in ratings last academic year, when the total number of Indian schools was 35. More than 79,000 students were enrolled in Indian schools last academic year, similar to this cycle.

This academic year, which began in April 2019 for Indian schools, there are five or six fewer schools rated good or higher. However, four schools climbed from good to very good.

Milestone passed

Fatima Martin, principal of GEMS New Millennium School – Al Khail (rated very good), said: “We are delighted to be validated by the DSIB [Dubai School Inspection Bureau] as a ‘Very Good’ school. In 2015, in our very first DSIB inspections, we were rated as a ‘Good’ school. Now, thanks to steady year-on-year improvement, we have passed the next milestone in our school’s development.”

She added: “The concerted efforts of all staff at GEMS New Millennium School, to pursue excellence, have been instrumental in this achievement. At the heart of our school are the ‘GEMS Education Core Values’, as well as the UAE Vision 2021, laying the foundations for the highest educational standards, enabling us to focus on achieving the best possible outcomes for all our students. We are proud to see GEMS Education shine in this context, building on our unparalleled track record of providing quality education.”

Close accountability

Another ‘very good’ school, JSS International School, enhanced its efforts in the professional development of its teachers, among other improvements, to raise its rating, said its principal Lata Nakra. She added that the school remains engaged in a constant pursuit of self-improvement and “not in a rat race”.

“What has also emerged as our strength is our dispersed leadership, right from the top to KG. Furthermore, the governance is holding the school leaders closely accountable. The governors have been very supportive, they are directing and guiding us; we have a governor for inclusion and sustainability also. With our staff, students and management, we have a recipe for success and our focus remains on further improvement to ensure all our children’s needs are met fully,” Nakra said.

Fast rise

Deepika Thapar Singh, CEO – Principal, Credence High School (rated good), said: “We are delighted with the progress that Credence High School has made in this short span of time. Each inspection leaves us enriched and helps us to introspect and plan ahead. We are committed to make Credence an ‘Outstanding’ school where children excel in all that they do. The credit for this progress goes largely to the students, parents and to the faculty who believe in the mission and vision of Credence High School.”

School inspections were introduced in Dubai in 2008 with an aim to provide a comprehensive view of the quality of education and contribute significantly to their improvement.

‘Very good’ Indian schools 2019-20 (up from ‘good’)

‘Good’ schools 2019-20: