Schools must pass gradation test

Schools in the UAE may soon be graded by the Ministry of Education, a ministry official said yesterday. If schools make the grade, they will then be accredited.

Dr Jamal Al Muhairi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education, was speaking at the opening session of a three-day conference in Dubai called Careers Unlimited and Exposition.

"We are holding talks with international education experts and plan to bring all schools under a grading system. Schools will soon have to follow an accreditation criteria, under which each school will have to reach a score that will rate their standard. The ministry will only grant approval to schools that meet the criteria," Al Muhairi said.

"The ministry is not trying to be a spoke in the wheel for private schools. Our intention is to keep a close watch on every aspect of the schools, from their infrastructure, teachers' qualifications and the school environment to the food served to students in canteens," he said.

The conference, at the Indian High School in Dubai, looks at conventional careers and specialisations and also at new opportunities for today's generation. More than 1,800 students are expected to attend.

More than 35 eminent speakers will share their success stories and recommendations in separate sessions. A special session will also be devoted to successful career women.

Qualified and trained career counsellors will also be on hand for one-on-one sessions and to provide detailed information about admission procedures for six selected countries.

Rasheeda Badri, joint director of the Dubai Education District and director of the event, said the conference was aimed at high schools students.

"We are the largest education district in the UAE and have 89 public schools with 32,500 students, and there are 120 private schools with 100,000 students. It is vital to us that students are directed to the right career that will contribute to the labour market and at the same time maintain a professional balance in the country," she said.

The event is the first joint venture of the Dubai Education District and the Indian High School. Ashok Kumar, principal of the Indian High School, said it would become an annual feature.

Ashok Ganguly, chairman of the Central Board of Secondary Education, India, said the accelerated pace of development in technology, particularly in computers, had expanded career frontiers for entering hitherto unknown areas of work, while at the same time completely transforming job stereotypes.

"Consequently, unlimited careers beckon today's youth ... On the other hand, the shrinking traditional job opportunities are compelling a radical change in perception and processes of empowerment. There is an urgent need for education to readjust itself and provide appropriate inputs in the formative period of schooling so that it can prepare students to face the future challenges," he said.

report card

----The move to accredit schools according to grades could well be a reflection of the ministry's concern with the standards

of education nationwide.

----Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Education, will soon unveil a plan that will set a criteria for schools to meet.