Dubai's private schools earn top marks for inclusive education

Three quarters of the emirate's private schools achieved a 'good' or better rating for provisions for disabled pupils

Dubai's private schools' inclusive education strategies have been assessed. The National

Almost three quarters of Dubai private schools – 74 per cent – have been ranked “good” or better for their provisions for pupils with disabilities in a new performance league table released on Monday.

The Knowledge and Human Development Authority, the emirate's private education regulator, assessed 199 schools on the inclusive education programmes they offered in the 2022-2023 academic year.

They were the first inspections focused on inclusive learning since the 2018-19 academic year.

The KHDA said 24 schools were awarded the highest “outstanding” rating, with 48 “very good”, 75 “good”, 45 “acceptable”, and five were deemed “weak”.

The number of schools achieving the “outstanding” ranking rose from 7 per cent in 2018-19 to 12 per cent.

Dubai's private schools cater to more than 16,000 pupils with disabilities, both physical and intellectual.

Ensuring education is for all

Dr Abdulla Al Karam, director general of the KHDA, hailed Dubai's schools for making significant strides in “reducing barriers to learning”.

He praised private schools in the emirates for building inclusive cultures, aimed at delivering the best standards of education to all learners.

“A true mark of a high-quality education sector is in how well it inspires and enables student of all abilities to strive for their best,” said Dr Al Karam.

“Private schools in Dubai have made great progress in reducing barriers to learning and ensuring equitable access to education.

“This improvement is not only a result of the systemic steps that school leaders have taken to promote individual learning experiences, but of the commitment of the whole school community to build a school culture and environment that nurtures achievement, personal growth and overall well-being.

“We thank teachers and school leaders for their expertise and dedication to their students, their schools and to Dubai.”

Schools were evaluated across a number of areas, with a focus on how they tailor their curriculum to meet the needs of all pupils. Sixty-six per cent achieved at least a “good” rating for curriculum modification, up 11 per cent from the previous inspection results.

The number of “outstanding” schools in this category doubled from 5 per cent to 10 per cent.

Fatma Belrehif, chief executive of Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau, said schools had seen the rewards of their work to improve their offerings to pupils with disabilities.

“Schools in Dubai have worked hard to improve their provision for students of determination [the term widely used by the UAE government to describe people with disabilities] by modifying their curriculum based on students’ learning skills.

“As a result of this improved approach to curriculum design and support, students have experienced greater academic progress this year.”

A total of 199 Dubai private schools were inspected during the 2022-23 academic year. According to data released in April, 77 per cent of students attend schools rated “good” or better.

The full list of inclusive education ratings for Dubai schools is available on the KHDA website.

Drive to raise standards

The KHDA introduced new guidelines in 2019 calling for all of its schools to be equipped to cater for children with disabilities – including those with special needs – by the following year.

Officials said at the time the move was an ambitious but entirely justified target.

Under the scheme, every schoolteacher was required to be trained to support disabled pupils.

Appropriate infrastructure such as wheelchair ramps and other access-friendly facilities should be installed.

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