• Home
• /
• UAE
• /
• Education

16 outstanding schools in Dubai; where does your child study?

Dubai - At present, 64 per cent of students in Dubai schools now attend good or better schools.

The majority of Emirati and expat students in Dubai today study in schools that offer good or better quality of education, as compared to students who were enrolled almost a decade ago.
This was the key finding in the latest inspection by Dubai School Inspection Bureau (DSIB) shared by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) on Tuesday.

At present, 64 per cent of students in Dubai schools now attend good or better schools, compared to 30 per cent of students when inspections started in 2008-2009.
Of the 159 schools inspected, 16 schools or 11 per cent were rated 'outstanding' (with 29,490 students enrolled in them), 14 schools or 14 per cent 'very good' (37,010 students), 69 school, 39 per cent 'good' (102,521 students), 50 schools, 30 per cent 'acceptable' (78,465 students) and 10 schools, 6 per cent were rated 'weak' (15,565 students). None of the inspected schools were found to be 'very weak'.
Also for the first time, more than half the Emirati students in Dubai private schools attend 'good' or 'better' schools.

The percentage of Emirati students attending good or better schools has actually doubled from 26 per cent in the academic year 2008-2009 to 54 per cent in the latest inspection cycle. Moreover, the majority of Emirati students and students with special education needs receive a 'good' or 'better' quality of education
The majority of students attending Dubai private schools that have adopted a UK, French, IB or Indian curriculum are in schools judged to be good or better overall.
In schools following a UK curriculum, 10 were rated outstanding, 9 very good, 27 good, 11 acceptable and 1 weak. With Indian curriculum: 2 were outstanding, 3 very good, 10 good, 11 acceptable, and 4 weak.

Among schools with the US curriculum: 1 was found outstanding, 13 good, 12 acceptable, and 3 were found weak. IB schools: 1 outstanding, 1 very good, and 8 good. Of the rest following Filipino, Pakistani, German, Russian, Canadian, and Japanese curriculums: 4 were rated good, 4 acceptable and 2 weak.
The 2016-2017 inspection cycle covered 159 private schools in Dubai. These schools have a total population of 263,051 students, from early years to Grade 12. There has also been a marked increase of 50 schools since private schools were first inspected by the DSIB in 2008-2009.
Dr Abdulla Al Karam, chairman of the Board of Directors and KHDA Director General, said: "Every year, we continue to see further improvement in Dubai's education landscape. More schools than ever are now offering a better quality of education. This improvement has been made possible by creating a culture of collaboration, which has encouraged schools to learn from each other and continue to grow."

Al Karam noted that parents too "play an important role and by bringing together families and schools, we are supporting children's learning needs which can lead to better learning outcomes in the future."
For her part, Fatma Belrehif, DSIB Executive Director, added: "Parents are now much more likely to have access to a 'good' school for their children than nine years ago. This year, school inspection reports also noted further improvement in the quality of provision for students with special education needs and disabilities."

Does class size matter in education quality?
Some education pundits say that smaller class sizes are linked to positive results, including better test scores, fewer dropouts and higher graduation rates.
But there is also a downside to it, as reducing the student-teacher ratio can translate into higher cost of education, thus reducing accessibility especially to disadvantaged children.
Reacting to parents' observations to reduce the number of students in a class, Dr Abdulla Al Karam, chairman of the Board of Directors and KHDA Director General, said that the factor of class size is highly debatable.
"People would argue that a smaller size means better quality education, but some will also argue that bigger class sizes actually means more affordable education," he told Khaleej Times.
"What we are looking at is the output and quality of education whilst keeping in mind the health and safety of students," Al Karam added. "So if you build a big school that can accommodate many students, that's fine since the size would be determined by health and safety standards instructed by the municipality and building regulation.
"Regarding the head count, it does not actually make sense as some big schools have proven outstanding than smaller-sized schools. Schools with big populations can excel, especially if there is a focus on and tremendous use of technology.
"People have different opinions at both end of spectrum, but at KHDA, we always monitor the school's output and the children's health and safety," he concluded.
angel@khaleejtimes.com