Residents volunteering time on school boards

KHDA GUIDE ON SCHOOL GOVERNANCE LAUNCHED AT IFTAR EVENT

Residents from different walks of life are volunteering their time to be on the boards of private schools in Dubai out of a passion to improve schooling, a gathering of education leaders heard on Monday.

School governors include lawyers, parents, corporate leaders, engineers and others who are lending their expertise in the steering of schools, they said during the launch of the ‘The Gift of Good Governance’ guide for school boards at the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA).

Over 200 school principals, school leaders and governors attended the launch event and iftar hosted by KHDA.

Although they are not required under the rules, all the 200 or so private schools in Dubai have governing boards. On Monday, the KHDA launched the 42page guide to be a non-binding reference document for private schools to follow best practices in governance.

School boards — which are independent from school employees — set the strategic direction of the school and take decisions on significant issues such as fees, budgets and mission statement goals. The dayto-day running of the school is entrusted with staff such as the principal, administrators, head teachers etc.

Speaking at Monday’s event, Tarek Alami, chair of the board of governors of Jebel Ali School, said: “I really see the role of the board as integral as part of the school development. We’re a notfor-profit school and so we really depend largely on the volunteerism of those within the school and in the community to make a board, and make the school what it is, and what it can be.”

Alami said besides the school’s “fantastic” management team, “it is important to also bring an outside perspective to what the school does”. He explained that as his school expanded, there was a need to bring in additional skills and expertise and ensure these are represented on the board.