Special educational needs and kindergarten provision lacking in Dubai schools

Dubai: Special educational needs and kindergarten provision remain a key concern even after 5 years of inspection results that indicated a need to improve these areas a report by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) found.

The report which included the inspection results of private schools in Dubai from 2008-2013 revealed the areas of strengths and weakness that Dubai’s private school sector has witnessed in the last five years.

Among the areas that needed improvement was special educational needs the report found that the provision for students with special educational needs remains weak in half the schools inspected.

According to the report although there has been considerable progress it remains a main concern as there are still schools that do not understand what special need educations are.

The report read “Not all schools want to admit students with these needs, and this contravenes government policy. Schools must ensure that all staff is sufficiently aware of the needs of all their students through rigorous training.”

Although special need students were showing progress they do not make as good progress as their peers in key subjects. Parents also had issues when it comes to finding school placement which meets their child’s needs. There is a lack of expertise in identifying talents that some students with special educational needs have.

KHDA also recommended that there should be qualified senior members, realistic curriculums, well planned lesson activities and close links with parents.

Kindergarten provision is also needed in schools as the inspections found that practical delivery is lacking in many Dubai schools. This is a concern because international practice found that children develop best when provided with opportunities that allow them to investigate and play.

Attainment of Arabic is also another concern; the report found, the teaching of Arabic continues to be a weakness in many schools, especially when it comes to students who take Arabic as a second language. This is attributed to the use of old teaching methods and the lack of incorporation of real life situations

Among the improvements that the report found was the decrease of unsatisfactory schools from 17 schools in 2008-2009 to 13 for the last two years. Unsatisfactory schools providing private MoE and US curricula account for the biggest proportion of the students enrolled in unsatisfactory schools.

More schools have also improved when it comes to parent communication and effective governance arrangements.

A larger number of schools have also started fulfilling the Ministry of Education requirements as well as provide better arrangements for the health and safety of students.

An increase in schools and students in Dubai was also noticeable. The number of private schools in Dubai has grown from 109 in 2008 to 143 in 2013 which accounts to a 31 per cent increase. The number of students in inspected private schools increased from 114,111 in the academic year 2008-2009 to 221,332 in the academic year 2012-2013.