Sharjah: The long-established Sharjah Indian School is to be closed by the Ministry of Education for offending the ministry's rules and regulations, Gulf News has learnt.
A letter issued by the Ministry of Education addressed to Sharjah Educational Zone instructed all related departments and authorities in the emirate to stop all school transactions because the school had not adhered to the ministry's rules and regulations.
The ministry said that the school, which accommodates more than 8,500 students, was warned several times not to start evening shifts for pupils without the ministry's permission but the school insisted on offending the rules.
The ministry said that the school had started an evening shift for pupils between 1pm until 5pm without informing any of the concerned authorities.
A spokesman from the school said that it was a community school which received students of low-income parents.
"The school premises are too small to accommodate such a large number of students," said the spokesman.
The spokesman said the school had decided to run an evening shift due to the large number of students attending the school.
The school has issued a letter to the Ministry of Education asking permission to continue study at the school as many students of low-income parents were studying there.
The school spokesman said that the school was being run by a committee and had no administration.
"We are planning to build a new school which will be a larger school to accommodate all the students in one shift," he said.
The spokesman said that he had not yet informed the pupils' parents about the school's closure.
"Many parents have moved their students recently to our school. The fees are not high as we charge around Dh300 a month per child and families with three children have to pay only Dh150 a month for their third child who is studying at our school," he said.
"We need permission from the ministry to allow us to continue next year in the same premises until we construct a new building," he said.
The Ministry of Education has informed the school that no transactions will be carried out for the school from June 14.
The ministry said that the school had twice received warnings, once on May 14 and also on May 24.
The school said that the trade licence of the school would expire in September.
"We know that we have offended the ministry's law," the spokesman said.
The school opened in 1979 and is for children from the Indian community.
Do you have a child who goes to the Sharjah Indian School? Have you studied in SIS? What do feel about the decision to shut the school down? Tell us.
Your comments
I have two kids studying in SIS. This news of shut down took me by surprise.It was unbeliveble, becoz the school was always strict as far as the rules and regulations were concerned. And now the school violating the rules is quite amazing.But I request the ministry not to shut down the school.The school should be punished but not the students. Closure of school means pushing 8500 students into darkness at the mid of an academic year.
Leena
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: June 30, 2009, 16:35
i am shocked to hear the news!my 2 kids are studying in the school. and suddenely this news came? i agree the school has not adhered to law ! but it's the kids who will be punished ! This is the only school which caters for low incom group.what will happen to their future ! even the school has not given any idea to the parents when we went for the parents teacher meeting on 24th june! what are we supposed to do at this late hour as first teram is already finished ! and which school can accomodate so many students at one go ! my son is going for this second shift ! even we are not happy with the second shift, but the school has promised us that it will be for a year! so we adjusted !
this closure of school is unjust! MOE should fine the school! and not punish the students
Sandhya
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: June 30, 2009, 16:25
I, just like all the other parents and children of SIS who are sad about the schools closure, solemnly and humbly request the MOE to grant permission to SIS to continue its esteemed services at the least till the new premises is ready.
Maria S
Dubai,UAE
Posted: June 30, 2009, 16:23
I dont know what is more despicable. A school thinking it can flout rules laid out by the regulatory body or the regulatory body thinking it is doing the right thing by shutting down a house of knowledge, and affecting roughly over 13,000 human beings (counting the children and their families) for administrative lapse committed by a few. While a reader above has very patronizingly claimed that the Law is law, please try to understand the spirit of the law as opposed to the letter alone.
I hope that those in charge (on either side of the fence) come to their senses and decide to do something realistic rather than taking puerile and knee jerk reactions.
John
Dubai,UAE
Posted: June 30, 2009, 16:16
sis should be shut down!cause it didnt follow the rules and reguations!
Every school is following the same rules and regualtion so why cant sis follow?
I agree with the MOE.
Shruthi
Dubai,UAE
Posted: June 30, 2009, 16:15
My two kids are ex-students of SIS. I send them back home only this year.Still i can feel what problems parents and students are going to face by this MOE decission.Honestly fee structure is very much affordable to low income parents. I feel MOE should give them a chance and final warning considering the future of students.
Syed Naim Al Deen
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: June 30, 2009, 16:12
The ministry shut down the school during vacation, could be a very smart move so that education is not effected. Also the school authorities should be given a little treatment for not taking the ministries warning seriously.I think the school will be opened by the end of august as it is expected to provided the school authorities convince the ministry to change shift as soon as possible even if its by paying a fine.
Chris
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: June 30, 2009, 16:11
