Education quality in Dubai has reached new heights in last 10 years: KHDA

The quality of education in Dubai has doubled this past decade, a new report by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) has revealed.

The 'Dubai Private School: A Decade or Growth' report was launched on Tuesday and shows that the proportion of students attending good or better school has more than doubled in the last 10 years - 30 percent of students in 2008-09 compared to 66 percent of students in 2017-18.

The number of Emirati students attending good or better schools has also grown significantly, with a current rate of 62 percent: up from 26 percent in 2008-09. 

The 2017-2018 school ratings were also released within the report, revealing that a total of 24 schools improved their rating, with one school moving from 'very good' to 'outstanding', 11 schools moving from 'good' to 'very good', 8 moving from 'acceptable' to 'good' and 4 from 'weak' to 'acceptable'.

"This is a particularly special year for education in Dubai, as we are marking 10 years of school inspections. Ten years ago, parents in Dubai had no objective means of knowing about the quality of education schools were provided here, nor any evidence-based way to compare schools to help them choose the best one for their children," Dr Abdulla Al Karam, KHDA's chairman and director-general said.

"Now, parents and educators have a common language to talk about education quality, and annual inspection reports on every private school in Dubai provide an invaluable resource for parents."

Dr Karam said the report will also help look ahead to the next 10 years and that the KHDA will continue working with school leaders, teachers, parents and students. The KHDA will support them to ensure that the children are prepared for "the tests of life and not just a life of tests".

The KHDA launched its school inspection scheme in 2008, inspecting 108 schools in the 2008-09 academic year. This academic year (2017-18), a total of 166 schools have been inspected. Currently, there are a total of 194 private schools across Dubai, offering 17 different curriculums - French, Japanese, British, American, Indian, Pakistani, Filipino and Russian, are a few of these.

"Reflecting on the last 10 years of school inspections in Dubai, we can clearly say that the quality of education offered by private schools has significantly improved, as have student outcomes and achievements," Fatma Belrehif, executive director of the Dubai School Inspection Bureau at the KHDA, said. 

Read more: https://www.khaleejtimes.com/news/education/education-quality-in-dubai-has-reached-new-heights-in-last-10-years-khda--