Emirati students getting better education, but need to catch up

There were also positive developments in students' scores in mathematics and science.

 In addition to the fact that more Emirati students receive their education at the 'good' or 'better' graded schools today - as revealed by the recent Dubai School Inspection Bureau (DSIB) inspection - the exact percentage of these students has been revealed.
So, 54 per cent of Emirati students are enrolled in schools rated 'good' and above, which is more than double the 26 per cent finding in the 2008-2009 DSIB report.

In the 2016-17 school inspection, the results showed the majority - or 63 per cent of Emirati students (20,197) - are enrolled in private schools following the US curriculum, followed by UK curriculum (21 per cent or 6,911 students); then, the local Ministry of Education curriculum (7 per cent, 2,141 students); 5 per cent in IB schools (1,717 students), and four percent (1,150) in other educational institutions. This means the current generation of Emirati students are getting better education than their predecessors.
There were also positive developments in students' scores in mathematics and science.
According to the DSIB report, in 2015, Emirati students in Grade 4 performed better in mathematics than in 2011.
They scored 459 points, which is 49 ticks above their previous score of 410 in 2011. In Grade 4 science, they scored 454, 62 points higher than their previous score of 392 in 2011. Grade 8 students got 458 in mathematics in 2015 as compared to 425 in 2011. They scored 462 in Science, 43 points higher than their previous score in 2011.
However, Emirati students also performed below the international average of 500.
"Emiratis are getting good or better education, but there is still a significant number of young Emiratis that are not meeting the expectations," DSIB Executive Director Fatma Belrehif told Khaleej Times at a roundtable discussion on Tuesday.
However, Emirati students have improved across the board, mirroring the improvement seen in Dubai students as a whole, the DSIB report revealed.
The marked improvement in the number of Emirati students enrolled in good schools can also be attributed to Emirati parents' decisions and the private schools' thrust to becoming more competitive in terms of quality education, as pointed out by Dr Abdulla Al Karam, KHDA Director General.
angel@khaleejtimes.com