School activity rules could be more flexible

Abu Dhabi education authority can show more flexibility approving school activities

Activities are an important part of our children’s school days. (Jaime Puebla / The National)

There is no doubt that the new rules regulating school activities in Abu Dhabi schools are well-intentioned. They have been drawn up with pupil well-being at heart, and are very much in line with Adec’s efforts to institute a culture of safety both on and off campus. Nevertheless, their introduction has given significant cause for concern to both parents and educators.

As The National reported, the rules issued by the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) on January 22 now require private schools to give Adec nine weeks' notice to approve field trips or guest visits. Parents and teachers maintain that private school pupils are missing out on extra-curricular activities because of the new regulations, which also oblige schools to provide Adec with extra paperwork detailing risk analysis and safety provisions.

The new rules could have been introduced in a less disruptive fashion and Adec could have given a longer period for schools to comply. Perhaps too, greater allowance should have been given for each school’s existing commitments. Adec points out that it has “never cancelled” individual activities, but its policy will, inevitably, have led to the cancellation of many trips and engagements as schools struggle to catch up with the demands of the new regulatory landscape.

The new rules should be amended to provide some distinction between domestic school field trips, overseas trips and on campus visits involving outside scholars, musicians and sports personalities. For foreign trips, the nine-week approval is fair, but for domestic trips to, say, zoos or public parks, is a long approval period really necessary? Once a trip has been run by a particular school, could Adec offer some kind of blanket approval for that institution to run the same trip again in future years? And, could the sporting calendar not be run on a recurring approval basis?

The public speakers clause could also benefit from further consideration. A requirement for security clearance puts student safety first, but surely there should be some provision for fast-track clearance? Under the new system, if one of the performers at, say, the Abu Dhabi Festival wanted to offer a masterclass to music students, approval would take nine weeks. Exercising a little bit of pragmatism and flexibility in such cases would go a long way.