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Indian politician's foundation to establish schools in UAE

Dubai - Khurshid split from the Delhi Public School Society a while ago after heading the society for 15 years.

The UAE is set to have schools that will be members of the Delhi Public World Foundation, a non-profit organisation run by former Indian minister and writer Salman Khurshid.
He told Khaleej Times that his foundation is in "final moments" of completing necessary registrations and will soon be able to consider individuals and educational institutions who want to become members.
Khurshid split from the Delhi Public School Society - an education board with 11 schools outside India - a while ago after heading the society for 15 years. After being in a long legal battle over using the name of the society, Khurshid established his organisation as Delhi Public World Foundation, which already has 44 schools operating across India and an upcoming one in Canada.
Differences with DPS
"My view was that they were going in the wrong direction; so, we broke up. Many of my friends and teachers from schools said that we shouldn't waste a chance to revive the values and feelings of the old school and therefore we set up what was originally called DPS World. This was a world of people who had been associated with that system, but the society had a problem with us over using the name 'DPS World'.
So, the court said don't use DPS until (the case is) finally decided," Khurshid told Khaleej Times.
"We haven't yet opened up our innings in Dubai despite a lot of requests and proposals because we thought we should do it appropriately - get the name and logo registered. We are now in the final moments of getting the registrations done. I can formally announce the intent of being in the UAE as well as other parts of the world, including Africa.
"We have a model that's different from what people are accustomed to, particularly of the society schools. The society schools are based off a franchise - so, you pay and take the logo. Our set up - because I'm basically opposed to the illegality of a franchise - is that of a foundation, which means anyone who wants to open a school has to first get entry into the foundation as a voting member, who is entitled to decide the budget and policies. One of the entitlements he or she will have is to open a school with that name. So, it's a school of the foundation family, not a franchise.
This is how we are very specifically different. And perhaps, I may be wrong, it's the only foundation of its kind where every member has a voting right to contribute the policies as well as the budget of the foundation."
DPS schools in UAE
Khaleej Times had reported in June that the Delhi Private School in Dubai and Sharjah were no longer affiliated with the Delhi Public School Society as the society sought, in the words of the school circular, a "steep hike" in tuition fees.
]DPS Dubai and Sharjah had sent out the circular to parents claiming that the DPS Society was looking for a fee increase.
"The society and the schools have obviously disagreed on some policy issues, including financial issues, which the society is being a little unreasonable and imposing upon them - but that's their own decision. Therefore, these people are moving away. What they will do ultimately will depend on their decision - whether they have a right to continue using the name under the law here in this country," Khurshid said.
"It's obviously sad that that's happening. But it's happening for a variety of reasons and some of those reasons overlap with the reasons why I left the society. It has a limited membership of about 24 or 25 people, most of whom have a low previous historical connection with the Delhi Public School system. One of the reasons why I disagree with them is that old teachers and students are not being brought on to the society. They have people from different schools, they don't have people who have experience with DPS. As far as those cases in the Middle East and in the UAE, those aren't the only ones.
"So, today, DPS Society and we stand front to front. They have nobody from the past of DPS, we have virtually everyone from the past of DPS. So, it's a contest between a glorious past and an uncertain future."
sarwat@khaleejtimes.com