Performance of Indian Schools in Dubai 2014-2015 Inspection Finding Key Findings Report - Dubai Private Schools | Page 30

7 years on... Inspecting for school improvement: A collaborative journey

Teaching
The quality of teaching in Arabic as a first language in the majority of schools
is only acceptable. The weakest teaching is in the higher grades. The quality of
lesson planning is a major area for development.
Most teachers use only a narrow range of teaching strategies and activities; these often fail to
engage students or address their linguistic development needs.
Only about a quarter of the teachers have
a recognised qualification in teaching.
Furthermore, 26% of the teachers of Arabic as
a first language do not have a university degree
in the subject content (Arabic language and /or
literature). 8% of teachers have qualifications
lower than university level.

26%
teachers of Arabic as a first
language do not have a
university degree in the
subject content

Assessment
Over 90% of private schools rely on internal assessments to evaluate the attainment
of students in Arabic as a first language. In most of these schools, assessment
data does not accurately reflect students’ attainment according to the Ministry of
Education curriculum expectations. Consequently, most teachers, students and
parents do not get an accurate-enough indication of students’ proficiency in Arabic as a first
language.

Curriculum
The curriculum for learning Arabic as a first language remains of acceptable quality
in most private schools in Dubai. In most schools, the curriculum is still restricted to
the content of textbooks, with insufficient focus on developing independent, deeper
reading comprehension and extended writing skills. The curriculum delivered in
lessons is generally fixed for most students, regardless of their starting points and their varying
linguistic development needs. Most teachers struggle to modify the curriculum effectively to
address the gaps in students’ learning.

17