Management of Dubai school discusses closure with parents
With EESS closing in March 2019, affordability issues worry parents weighing other options
Parents of students at Emirates English Speaking School (EESS) in Dubai, which is closing in March 2019, raised their concerns with school management during their first meeting regarding the issue on September 1.
Parents later told Gulf News that they face the difficult choice of moving their children to another school or continuing with EESS in its final year.
Fees at the Indian curriculum school (CBSE) are around Dh4,500 on average, one of the lowest in Dubai. Its official ‘weak’ rating means it can only raise fees marginally, with no fee increase allowed this academic year under current rules for private schools in Dubai.
The school located in Al Safa area said it would close down because of a limited budget stemming from low fees. In July, its administration manager said that limited resources meant it could not afford quality teachers or ensure quality education.
Wahid Basri, a father of a child at the school, said: “I only learnt about the closure in the summer break and have not been able to find another school that will take my child. This [September 1] is the first time parents were called for a meeting about the closure.”
He added: “Some teachers are looking for other jobs; there are only six months left for EESS. I have to ask myself, is there a point in my child continuing in the school?”
Like other Indian schools, the academic year at EESS started in April and ends in March 2019. The school opened in 1979 and was rated ‘acceptable’ in annual inspections for many years. However, in the last two inspections, its rating fell to ‘weak’.
Another parent, a mother of two children in grades 2 and 3, said: “I had already re-registered my children in March [at EESS] at a cost of Dh1,200. The school then says, after the term ends, ‘we are closing’. I found other schools willing to take my children; they have space; but I cannot afford them,” she added.
“If I continue with [EESS], is there a guarantee that the teachers will give their best?”
A father of four said it was difficult to change schools because his children like EESS.
A senior official of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) had in July said that the school had “put in place a plan to ensure affected students can be accommodated in other schools and it will help parents and pupils with a smooth transition”.