Tag Archives: opinion
New parent-school contract will be free
New parent-school contract will be free Muaz Shabandri / 30 August 2013 Parents will not have to pay extra for signing a new parent-school contract which is being introduced at six private schools in Dubai as part of a pilot project from September onwards. Every student in Dubai will soon be a part of this mandatory contract which defines the rights and responsibilities of a school and a student. “Initially, the initiative will start with a trial period involving six schools. If this is successful, it will be rolled out across all schools in Dubai,” said Abdulrahman Nassir, Chief of Customer Relations at KHDA, in an interview with Khaleej Times. The contract is being introduced to reduce the number of grievances and complaints addressed by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), a regulatory body which governs private education in the emirate of Dubai. Schools in Dubai have earned a reputation for being highly ‘business oriented’ with most schools announcing fee increases regularly, in line with the KHDA rules. The contract between schools and parents will help build transparency as the regulator expects the number of complaints between schools and parents to reduce. “One reason for disputes has been the lack of clarity between the two parties. We hope to decrease the number of grievances following the introduction of contracts. Parents benefit in the same way as schools by having their rights and responsibilities drawn up from the start. For example, fees and extra charges will be agreed upon in the contracts, to ensure there are no disputes over hidden costs for parents further down the line,” added Nassir. Experts at KHDA have worked upon the contract to include feedback from students, teachers and school operators. “It’s an original contract and was based on KHDA’s research which included external international benchmarking, focus groups and meetings with both schools and parents. The contracts are renewable and will be signed annually,” Nassir said. The six schools participating in the pilot phase of the initiative include, Dubai Modern Education School, Al Ittihad Private School (Al Mamzar), Al Ittihad Private School (Jumeriah), School of Modern Skills, Greenwood International School and American Academy in Al Mizhar, involving a total of 9632 students. news@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
Dubai Courts launches ‘Twitter Visit’ initiative
Dubai Courts launches ‘Twitter Visit’ initiative Staff Reporter / 30 August 2013 The Dubai Courts’ 4,000 Twitter followers and other interested individuals will now have the chance to take part in an arranged visit to the courts’ premises and have a closer look at the way the judicial system works. According to ‘Twitter Visit’, an initiative which was launched by Dubai Courts General Manager Dr Saeed bin Hazeem, a monthly visit will be arranged for the members of the public who wish to get familiar with the judicial system in operation within the courts, and procedures and services rendered to the litigants. Dr Saeed bin Hazeem and other Dubai Courts officials checking the courts’ Twitter account during a ceremony held to announce the new initiative on Thursday.— Supplied photo The initiative was launched during a ceremony attended by a number of judges and heads of departments on Thursday. Dr Bin Hazeem stressed that the courts department was keen to spread its vision and mission among customers and society in general and that it was important to raise the public’s awareness about its services and procedures. “The courts plays an important and prominent role in the community, and we must enlighten the community members about this judicial role. The main purpose of the Dubai Courts is to boost confidence in the judicial system both locally and internationally. “This is achieved through the spreading of justice in society, precision and speed in the settlement and adjudication of claims, and enforcement of judicial judgments, decisions and orders, as well as documentation of contracts and other edited materials. This goal can be achieved by relying on qualified national cadres and modern and sophisticated systems, procedures and techniques.” The programme is aimed at all those who have tweeted Dubai Courts through its Twitter site which currently receives around 4,000 followers in total. According to the Public Communication and Social Media Office at the Dubai Courts, to take part in the Twitter Visit, one should contact them and reserve a seat. The programme will include a tour inside the courts’ premises and introduction about the various departments, divisions and services provided to litigants. In addition, a meeting with a judge from Dubai Courts will be included, in order to familiarise the visitors with his profession, its secrets and inside information, and the challenges he faces in his work as a judge. The courts has already launched its accounts on social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook with the aim of opening new channels to communicate with the general public. mary@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
Britain says ‘no’ but US ready to act alone on Syria
Britain says ‘no’ but US ready to act alone on Syria (AFP) / 30 August 2013 British lawmakers rejected their government’s call for punitive military strikes against the chemical-armed Syrian regime on Thursday, leaving the United States to act alone. Before and after the shock House of Commons vote to defy Prime Minister David Cameron’s bid to win support for military intervention, the White House said America was ready to take unilateral action. Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron is seen addressing the House of Commons in this still image taken from video in London. – Reuters “We have seen the result of the Parliament vote in the UK tonight,” said Caitlin Hayden , a National Security Council spokeswoman. “As we’ve said, President Obama’s decision-making will be guided by what is in the best interests of the United States. “He believes that there are core interests at stake for the United States and that countries who violate international norms regarding chemical weapons need to be held accountable.” The decision also came after the failure of an improbable eleventh-hour effort by British diplomats to win UN backing for action against Bashar Al Assad’s regime at a meeting of the permanent members of the Security Council. “It is clear to me that the British parliament, reflecting the views of the British people, does not want to see British military action. I get that and the government will act accordingly,” Cameron said. Britain’s opposition Labour leader Ed Miliband is seen addressing the House of Commons in this still image taken from video in London. – Reuters That, combined with deadlock at the United Nations, appeared to effectively sound the death knell for the idea of a broad-based Western military coalition, although other American allies might still participate. But even before the surprise British vote, the White House had signalled that it was ready to act regardless of UN or allied support. “We certainly are interested in engaging with the global international community on this issue,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said. “But at the same time, the president’s chief accountability is to the American people that he was elected to protect. “The president believes strongly in making the kinds of decisions and taking the kinds of steps that are necessary to protect our core national security interests that we’ve acknowledged are at stake in this situation.” Earlier, envoys from the permanent five members of the UN Security Council — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States — had met at UN headquarters in New York. The 45-minute meeting was the second since Britain proposed a draft resolution to permit “all necessary measures” to protect Syrian civilians after a suspected chemical weapons attack last week. But none of the envoys commented as they left. Earlier in the week reports had suggested that a Western strike was imminent, but questions have been raised about the quality of the intelligence linking Assad to the attack. The White House reached out to US lawmakers, with the president’s top aides briefing congressional leaders in a 90 minute conference call. Some members of Congress voiced support for limited, surgical strikes, while urging the administration to continue consulting closely with the Congress. Nancy Pelosi , the minority leader in the House, said she agreed with House Speaker John Boehner that “there needs to be more consultation with all members of Congress and additional transparency into the decision making process and timing, and that the case needs to be made to the American people. “It is clear that the American people are weary of war. However, Assad gassing his own people is an issue of our national security, regional stability and global security. We must be clear that the United States rejects the use of chemical weapons by Assad or any other regime,” she said. US warships armed with scores of cruise missiles are converging on the eastern Mediterranean, and US military officials have said they are ready to launch a powerful barrage against regime targets in Syria. Assad’s ally Russia has blocked all attempts to toughen international sanctions against Damascus or authorise outside force to punish or unseat the regime. Syria, meanwhile, is in the 29 th month of a vicious civil war in which more than 100,000 people are credibly reported to have died. As the stand-off continues, a team of UN inspectors are investigating reports that last week’s gas attack outside Damascus killed more than 350 people, including women and children. A UN spokesman said Thursday that the team had collected “considerable” evidence and will brief UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon soon after they leave Syria on Saturday. “Starting tomorrow he will try to reach out to member states and take discussions forward on the question of what is happening in Syria,” the spokesman said. Ban has appealed for the inspectors to be allowed to complete their work before the major powers decide any follow-up action. Assad remained defiant in the face of the Western threats. “Syria will defend itself in the face of any aggression,” state television cited him as telling a visiting delegation of Yemeni politicians. He vowed that any attack would result in “victory” for the Syrian people. His regime has denied using chemical weapons and blamed “terrorist” rebels. The mood among Damascus residents was fearful, while security forces prepared for possible air attacks by pulling back soldiers from potential targets and introducing tougher controls at roadblocks and hospitals. Continue reading
