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Six villa schools to be shut down in Abu Dhabi emirate

Abu Dhabi: The academic year beginning in September will see the closure of six villa schools across the emirate of Abu Dhabi, as well as the opening of three new private schools, the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) announced Saturday.

The new schools will offer seats on a priority basis for kindergarten to grade 12 students of the closed villa schools, and will charge less than Dh10,000 as annual tuition fees, Adec said in a statement.

"The Adec is committed to providing a smooth transition for all parents and students affected by the closing of villa schools, and is therefore providing alternative solutions for them even as the closures are announced," Yousuf Al Sheryani, executive director of private schools and quality assurance sector at Adec, told Gulf News.

"The new schools will be housed in government buildings formerly occupied by other educational institutions, and will provide affordable schooling for children," Al Sheryani added.

According to the Adec statement, three of the six closed villa schools are in Abu Dhabi city, namely, Baraem Al Aqsa Private School, Badr Al Kobr Private School and Al Ekhlaas Private School. The rest are located in Al Ain. These are: Al Amal Private School, International Private School and Zahrat Al Madain Private School.

When the new schools are opened, one will be located in Baniyas and operated by Al Ekhlaas Private School, while another will be operated by Polaris Education in Abu Dhabi city. The third will be located in Al Ain. Like the closed villa schools, all three new schools will follow the Ministry of Education (MoE) curriculum.

"The new private schools will be able to take in about 3,200 students altogether, which is roughly the number of students enrolled in the villa schools that are shutting down.

No undue stress

"Children from the closed schools will get priority placement in the new institutions, and their parents have until July 31 to register them," Al Sheryani said.

To get a seat in the new institutions, students of closed villa schools merely have to sign up and begin the registration process.

"We want to prevent any undue stress for the parents of children in villa schools, and registration at the new schools which are offering priority places for their children is already ongoing. From August 1 onwards, these schools will also accept admissions to other students," Al Sheryani said.

Adec has been closing down or relocating villa schools since a decree issued in 1999 which required all private schools to comply with government regulations, including the use of appropriate building facilities.

As Gulf News reported earlier this year, all villa schools in the capital are set to be closed by the end of the 2012-2013 academic year.

"A villa school is one that is housed in residential buildings or on land zoned as residential land. Typically, these schools are small, and do not have adequate road access or parking for buses and other vehicles. These inadequacies therefore compromise the safety of the students and other people," the Adec official explained.

Closing down

In Abu Dhabi: Baraem Al Aqsa Private School, Badr Al Kobr Private School, Al Ekhlaas Private School

In Al Ain: Al Amal Private School, International Private School, Zahrat Al Madain Private School

Opening

A new school in Al Ain

School operated by Al Ekhlass Private School (Baniyas)

School by Polaris Education (Abu Dhabi city)


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