Tag Archives: dubai
Admission age for KG-1 in Abu Dhabi set at four years
Admission age for KG-1 in Abu Dhabi set at four years Olivia Olarte-Ulherr / 19 February 2014 Adec clarifies on dates after confusion over Ministry of Education’s order, no rule change in Dubai. The new admission age for kindergarten 1 (KG-1) is four years for all schools — public and private — in Abu Dhabi emirate. This was clarified by the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) following confusion over the Ministry of Education’s recent ruling. Likewise, first-time enrollees in KG-2 should be five years while those in Grade 1 six years. According to the Adec, this “is the same for all schools” across the emirate. New Bangladeshi students who started school in January should be four by April 31 while those joining the Asian and Indian curriculum in KG-1 in April should be four years by July 31, and other curricula starting the academic year in September should be four by December 31. An official from Adec’s Private School and Quality Assurance (PSQA) Sector said that they met the principals in September last year and issued a circular in January explaining the new age limit. The new regulation takes effect from the 2014-2015 academic year. “Our education system is clear as to what age the school should start with… our electronic student information system is programmed accordingly,” said the PSQA official. He stressed that the new age applies only to first-time enrollees and that continuing students are exempted from this. The clarification came after parents and schools expressed confusion over the Ministry of Education’s (MoE) ruling that raises the entry level for kindergarten from the previous 3.6 years and 5.6 years for Grade 1 by October 1 in public schools and those following the MoE curriculum. Other private schools previously accepted students in KG-1 at three years but with the new regulation, many parents were left disappointed to have to wait for another year. Rosario Soares’ daughter will be 3.7 years in April when he hopes to start her in KG-1 but was told that they cannot accept her due to the new age limit. “This is not ideal because my other two daughters started at three years,” complained the Indian national. “It was very clear; a child should turn four by December 31 if he/she is joining a school in September… By first of September, a child should be 3.8 years minimum to become four years by December 31. (Similarly), a child should be 3.8 by January 1 if joining the Bangladesh school,” the PSQA official said. He noted, however, that this does not apply for the Foundation Stage 1 (FS-1), which is equivalent to nursery in the British curriculum and accepts students at three years. But FS2, equivalent to KG-1, should follow the same regulation. To be in line with the Adec regulation, the British International School Al Khubairat (BISAK) has renamed the FS-1 to nursery and is accepting students at three years while FS-2 admission is for four-year-old students. A random check of other schools in the Capital showed that many schools have since adjusted their admission age. The Horizon Private School has set 3.8 years as the minimum age by September 5 while the Twenty First Century Private Academy set the same by September 1. The Abu Dhabi Indian School following the CBSE curriculum has set its admission age at 3.8 by March 30 while Bright Riders by March 31. The Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Bangladesh Islamia School, meanwhile, only admitted new students in KG1 at 3.8 years by January 1. Mir Anisul Hasan, vice-principal of the Bangladesh school, said they used to accept new students as young as three years but now have to abide by the regulation. As the only Bangladesh community school in the Capital, he said parents initially found it “tough, but we have to stick to the rules of Adec”. No change in Dubai In Dubai, schools and parents also expressed confusion over the new MoE regulation. But in response to Khaleej Times enquiry, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) assured that this does not apply to private schools in Dubai. “At present, the rules remain unchanged and the minimum age is determined by each school/curricula. We will update them if there are any changes,” the KHDA said in a statement on Tuesday. olivia@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Shaikh Hamdan’s ‘1971’ online quiz to gift Dh50,000 each to 71 winners
Shaikh Hamdan’s ‘1971’ online quiz to gift Dh50,000 each to 71 winners Staff Report / 19 February 2014 During the online quiz competition, 1971 questions will be asked about the UAE’s history in a three-year-long campaign. The ‘1971 Initiative’ ordered by Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, to coincide with ‘Education Day’, will start its first three-month edition on March 3. During the online quiz competition, 1971 questions will be asked about the UAE’s history in a three-year-long campaign. In each year’s edition, there will be 71 winners, who will get Dh50,000 each. In total, Dh3.55 million could be shared by the winners in the three editions in three years. The competitors must be UAE nationals or Arab-speaking residents. They have to visit on www.mubadara1971.ae to register by entering their identity numbers. The participation will be open to all from the age of 16. The organising committee of the initiative will set the contest criteria. The Board of Directors of the ‘1971 Initiative’ announced the details of the contest at a Press conference on Tuesday. In accordance with the directives of Shaikh Hamdan, the Board of Directors of the initiative was formed to plan and supervise all editions under the chairmanship of Dr Abdullah Mohammed Al Rais. The board said the mass information contest will kick off on March 3. The event will be widely covered by mass media. (With inputs from Wam) For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Tarun Tejpal claims innocence over rape charge
Tarun Tejpal claims innocence over rape charge (AFP) / 18 February 2014 Investigating officer Sunita Sawant filed a 2,684-page charge sheet before the court on Monday, saying there was enough evidence to prove the charges. A leading Indian editor charged with raping a colleague insisted on Tuesday he was innocent, after a court deferred his plea for bail in the case which has dominated local media. Tarun Tejpal, the founder and editor of top investigative magazine Tehelka, has been in custody since his arrest in late November over the alleged incident in a hotel lift in the southern state of Goa. On Monday Tejpal was charged with a series of offences including sexual harassment, outraging modesty and rape, in one of the highest-profile cases since India toughened its rape laws last year. “The charge sheet against me is out of political vendetta. I am innocent,” the 50-year old told reporters outside the court in Goa’s capital Panaji, after his bail hearing was deferred until March 4 and he was taken back into custody. “The truth is in the CCTV footage and it will be known to the world,” he said, dressed in a white Indian kurta (tunic) for his court appearance, at which his family members were also present. The woman, who has quit the magazine since the scandal broke and who cannot be named for legal reasons, has told police she was molested twice in the lift during a magazine-sponsored event in the state. The case made front-page news in India for days, at a time when sexual assault was under the spotlight following the fatal gang-rape of a student in Delhi in December 2012, which sparked widespread protests. The magazine has reported forcefully on gender inequality in India recently, highlighting police and judicial insensitivity to rape victims as well as the misogynistic attitudes of many Indian men. It has been accused of hypocrisy and trying to cover up a serious crime after magazine staff were sent an email saying Tejpal was stepping down for six months for “misconduct”. Police say their investigation gathered CCTV footage showing the pair entering the elevator — although there was no camera inside it — and other evidence including email and SMS exchanges between them. Investigating officer Sunita Sawant filed a 2,684-page charge sheet before the court on Monday, saying there was enough evidence to prove the charges. Police said they also sought on Monday a fast-track trial that could be completed within 60 days. For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
