'Education is a long-term investment'

Dubai: Despite criticism from various quarters, Dr Abdullah Al Karam, chairman of the board of directors of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), is focused on his mission to reform the education sector in Dubai.

With the education watchdog introducing a quality framework for schools based on an inspection regime and fee caps that are directly linked to performance ratings, Al Karam has ruffled a few feathers among education providers in the private sector.

In an interview with Gulf News, Al Karam touched on the KHDA's success and challenges it faces and the lessons he has gleaned during his tenure.

Excerpts:

Gulf News: After a year of school inspections, what is the most important revelation about the education sector in Dubai?

Dr Abdullah Al Karam: The major fact that has come to the fore is the need to instill some sort of public accountability; that is letting parents know a bit more than what they knew before. In previous years, schools were known by their location, curriculum, by the fees they charged or any international examination they took. The public had no basic comparative information. Now there is a new dimension to look at. This is the first year and it is not 100 per cent accurate but I can assure that it is accurate enough for parents to make an assessment and for schools to know. This sort of engagement from all stakeholders, I must say, is quite a milestone.

 Why are there so many under-performing schools in Dubai despite such high fees? What is basically wrong with the system?

For that you have to look at the history of the private education sector in the country, the diversity of curriculums, etc. The first thing to do to reform it is finding out what is wrong and understanding the issues. One reason that comes to my mind is that, for so many years, there was no sort of proper government role in the private sector. By government role I mean the regulations and reporting about schools and their functioning. When nobody was checking, there crept in some sort of complacency and irresponsibility. When you look at the education landscape in Dubai, 85 per cent of children are in private schools and this calls for an independent and transparent regulatory system. We are playing this governmental role.

Inspections or funds — what do schools need to improve their standards?

There is a fine line between the two. There has to be access to education for all. Once that happens, then you can start implementing quality. The access aspect is getting better in education because we are looking at a diversity of curricula and a balance between demand and supply. The waiting list has gone down with more schools. But when we look at the quality aspect, there is indeed a strong link between the quality and the financial support they receive. But how do you link the two? In the last five or six years, the rising cost of living has reflected in the cost of education with the major expenses for schools being salaries of teachers and rents. But going forward, if that is the driving force for fee hikes, people will be wondering why schools need to do it again and again. From next September, we will have to see the effect of the economic climate. But school owners will have to think twice before they increase any service charge in education because, first of all, there is a report that talks about quality. Secondly, there is greater access to education and, hence, less monopoly.

Why are you against letting market forces decide school fees?

It is just a matter of time. The Ministry of Education announced a fee cap ranging from 10 per cent to 30 per cent. But we had to simplify it. So we introduced school inspections and attached performance criteria for fee hikes. Market forces will decide the school fees once the inspection process evolves and schools start using the quality framework in such a way that there is access to education for all. Two things have to happen. Parents should have more choice and the choice should come with quality. There should not be any exploitation of parents because of lack of choice. Once the exploitation stops, we can open it to market forces.

Why are private schools so sceptical about the KHDA?

I do not think so. I am a very accessible person. My personal e-mail is on our website. People do write to me about their concerns. I am available on the lobby. But what a few schools are trying to do is to compare between how things were now and before the KHDA. Those who were functioning without any government supervision, they definitely do not want us around. We safeguard parents' interest primarily. Bylaws are just not enough to do that. At the same time we are doing enough to help schools improve. For example, we are trying to work a land index so that landlords do not abuse the system and levy exorbitant rents.

I am sure private education providers beg to differ with you. What formula do you have to strike a balance where they can run a profitable business while ensuring affordability and quality for parents?

We have to understand that high fee does not always mean high quality. There are schools in the lower fee bracket but with higher quality. So the argument by many schools that they need to increase fee to raise their standards is not a valid one.

When you have a waiting list of students to enrol, schools think they can call the shots. In Dubai, there are different types of private operators. So one-size-fits-all approach does not work. You can run a profitable business and sustain it. But we got to ensure that they do not exploit the situation where demand outnumbers the supply. That is not ethical. They can make money but, as I always say, education is a long-term investment with slow returns.

How would you rate the performance of KHDA in the last two years?

Establishing an authority out of scratch, that too by decentralising a system that existed for years is no joke. To take the public into confidence is not a walk in the park. We have initiated a programme of school inspections and fee caps. I would rather do a few things and do them well than run around and commit to too many things haphazardly. I believe the progress has been solid so far.

After you took over the reigns of the KHDA, what is your biggest achievement?

I won't use the word achievement. But I think what we have done by providing a state apparatus besides the federal ministry to look into educational issues has indeed brought good results. The decentralisation of the education system, which happened slowly but steadily in Dubai, is for the benefit of students and parents. Despite criticism, we have managed to assure people that they can voice their concerns at the state level and get things resolved as things are more organised, and more people are involved in education.

We are still going through the learning curve and we still have to work out ways to improve things. But I can surely tell you that without KHDA, the school inspections would not have taken place.

Isn't higher education a priority for the KHDA since your work is more apparent in schools.

It is fair to say that we are more visible in schools than in other segments. Higher education may not be at the top of our agenda. There are lots of issues at the school level the consequences of which will be felt at in higher education. So we have identified that schooling is the core sector to be addressed. There is no U-turn on school inspections.

We have decided to do a few hard things because it is necessary to do hard things to reform education in Dubai.

What are the challenges ahead for the KHDA?

Introducing the concept of inspections and getting people to accept it was our biggest challenge last year. This year we are working towards re-emphasising it. People have to understand that inspections are good for everyone. It helps schools to improve their performance, helps parents to make informative choices. The results are already showing but we have no reason to be complacent. It is a continuous challenge. Now we have a framework for quality but we need to continuously follow up and see what schools make out of this framework.

Should schools be more transparent with parents? Have you experienced any trouble with your child's school due to lack of communication?