DUBAI // Schools that fail new mandatory inspections will be given targets to ensure they meet minimum standards, but the Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau (DSIB) will stop short of shutting them down.
"We are not out to close schools," Jameela al Muhairi, the head of the DSIB, said at the The Role of Inspection in School Improvement Conference yesterday. "Our job is to nurture and support schools found to have weaknesses, to improve them and keep them open, not close them down.
"One of the benefits of a good school inspection system is that it provides an opportunity for reflection about what we want our schools to be like and the nature of excellence in school quality."
DSIB inspectors will collect evidence from each school and examine whether required standards are being met.
Inspections on both public and private schools will begin at the start of the 2008-2009 academic year and will last three to five days. At least five inspectors will be assigned to schools with more than 2,000 pupils, and three or four to schools with between 1,000 and 2,000 pupils. The inspection criterion will be common to all schools. Reports will be released at the end of the academic year, and the findings and recommendations published.
"Schools will be mandated to carry out recommendations if the situation is required and they show significant weakness," said Tony McAleavy, a consultant to the DSIB. "In normal circumstances though, the schools will be offered advisory recommendations on how to improve their standards."
The inspection will examine teaching methodologies, subject matter, the quality of examinations and how well students learn. Other areas of focus include health and safety, the security of the students, parental involvement and the leadership and management roles of the teachers.
The DSIB hopes that schools will eventually develop their own evaluation systems.
Mr McAleavy said the inspections and self-evaluations would increase communication between schools and the bureau, minimising any sense of distrust.
While both private and state schools will be inspected, different bodies are responsible for implementing recommendations. With private schools, it is up to individual governing bodies to carry out the necessary actions, whereas with state schools it will be left to the Schools Agency.
"The Schools Agency is appointing a team of school improvement consultants who will help schools construct a post-inspection action plan," said Tarek Alami, from the Knowledge and Human Development Authority. "The Schools Agency will also assign an officer to work in conjunction with the private schools, in order to work together and share good practice."
Mr Alami hoped that a comprehensive picture of the educational system in Dubai would be available by the end of the year.