Well-being survey to focus on pupils’ sleep patterns

More than 120,000 pupils and staff from private schools in Dubai are taking part in two well-being surveys.

The combined annual study, organised by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority, began yesterday and is expected to take five weeks to complete.

The KHDA, Dubai’s education regulator, said participants would be asked between 50 and 60 questions each, with their answers offering an insight into how pupils and staff were coping with demands of life in the classroom.

“We have added new questions that hone in on digital technology use and social media interaction, as well as a pupil’s sleep and calmness rating,” said Hind Al Mualla, chief of creativity, happiness and innovation at KHDA.

The Dubai Student Wellbeing Census will survey about 100,000 private school pupils while the Adults@School Wellbeing Survey will focus on about 20,000 staff.

The KHDA said 181 schools would take part in the student study, which was first launched in 2017.

The results are to be released in March next year and will be used to create action plans to improve well-being across Dubai schools.

About 95,000 pupils took part in last year’s study, with 89 per cent saying they were more likely to be satisfied with life if they slept well.

Ms Al Mualla said the KHDA wanted to put “a sharper focus on what factors are limiting or having an effect on a pupil’s sleep cycle”.

The Adults@School Wellbeing Survey was first introduced last year and put a spotlight on how staff, especially teachers, needed support at work.

It found that 24 per cent of respondents said they were “consistently thriving”, while more than 40 per cent said they were “just getting by”.

Ghadeer Abu Shamat, principal at Al Khaleej National School, said the surveys were beneficial for schools.

“Once we analysed our 2018 results, we realised we needed to fill a few gaps when it came to personal development among our pupils,” she said.