Ajman school shuts down without notice

A father shows the notice he received stating that the school will be shut down.

Parents of 550 students of the Al Saad Indian School, Ajman are scrambling to find seats for their children after school administrators abruptly announced the closure of the school on January 14.
The private-owned villa-turned-school located in Al Rumailah area of Ajman was founded 25 years ago. The school currently has over 20 teachers and other administrative staff. The school has allegedly been functioning without a licence for the past year and a half. The CBSE-curriculum school houses children from KG to grade 4.
The Ajman Ministry of Education authorities stated that the school administrators ignored all notices and warnings imposed by the Ministry. However, on humanitarian grounds and because there are only three months left for the academic year to end, the ministry reinstated the students to nearby Indian curriculum schools in Ajman for the same fee structure they paid at Al Saad School.
Director of Ajman Educational Zone, Ali Hassan Al Hammadi told Khaleej Times that the ministry had to shut down the school because the premises in which it was built did not meet with the standards set by the ministry.
"The school was essentially a villa. We send them several notices and warnings, all of which were ignored by the school administrators," he said. According to federal government initiatives launched last year, villa schools are being shut down to help encourage private schools to operate in purpose-built buildings that are consistent with quality and safety standards on lands allocated for education purposes.
According to several parents, no intimation was provided by the school administrators to the parents because of which, they did not look for alternative options.
Mustafa Nalukandatthil, a parent said: "If the school had informed us about the notices, we would've looked for admission in other schools. They didn't tell us anything till the last minute." He added: "It is said that the school was given a final closure notice from the Ministry of Education during the first week of January. However, we were still not made aware of the notice and were greeted with a giant lock on the school doors on Thursday."
The school teachers and staff have apparently not been paid their salaries since December. The principal refused to comment on the issue even after repeated attempts to contact her.
Pakistani national Nazeer Ahmed, a parent of two children - Dua and Maryam said: "It is very hard to look for new a school with only three months left for the school to close. I don't know what to do." Parents also said that many of the families educating their children in the school belong to middle or low income groups. "For us to shift our children to another school is going to be really expensive," stated a parent.
Teachers who lost their jobs stated that they are hoping to be re-employed by other schools. An English teacher for the last eight years Girija Muralidharan stated that the move came as a total shock. "I've been teaching at the school for over eight years. I'm hoping to find replacements in other schools in Ajman. This has been very hard on us," she said.
The Ministry of Education stated that all 550 students of the school will be registered into other schools with the same fee structure.
Hammadi said: "Since this is an emergency situation, we are not going to change the fees of the students. Two Indian schools- The Royal Academy and the East Point Indian International School will be accepting the students.
"There is not going to be any change in uniforms, no change in the books and transportation will be provided by the host school," he added. Royal Academy has accepted 350 boys and girls and East Point School has accepted 200 students. These students will also be provided with the school t-shirts.
By the end of the academic year, it is up to the parents if they continue in the same school or look for admission in another school.
"If the old school manages to get a new facility, with the requirement and standard of the Ministry, they can go back, as well. In the next two days, the files of the students will be transferred to these two schools," Hammadi added. A spokesperson at the Royal Academy said: "We're very happy to welcome the new children into the school on a conditional acceptance. The students will be provided transport and all matters will be finalised in two days."
dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com

Dhanusha Gokulan

dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com