Tag Archives: investments
Costly lessons
Costly lessons Dhanusha Gokulan / 6 May 2013 If it weren’t for both their incomes, paying for the education of their sons would be out of the question for Pakistani parents Javed Aqib and Umaira Aqib. “My older son is in the seventh grade, and the younger one is in grade five. We spend about Dh3,000 on their tuition fees per month. For an average middle class family like ours, it is very expensive. But it is also an unavoidable expenditure,” said Umaira. According to a recent survey conducted by whichschooladvisor.com , for a vast majority of parents in the UAE, education is a major expense, with close to one in five families spending more than 30 per cent of their monthly household budget on school fees. The most common answer from respondents is between 11 per cent and 15 per cent of their combined household incomes. Which School Advisor (WSA), the UAE’s first dedicated school guide, was launched a little over a month ago to address the key needs of expatriate parents in the UAE. The survey was conducted online over a period of five weeks through March and April with 596 responses from parents around the UAE. Forty-five per cent of respondents live in Abu Dhabi, 43 per cent in Dubai, almost 10 per cent in Sharjah with the remainder spread through the other four emirates. The website has a lot of material for parents, employers and schools to digest and discuss. The website suggested that educating children in the UAE’s private school system is expensive. Until recently it was an expense that many expatriate parents could expect to share to some degree with the employer who had persuaded them to spend the key years of their career in the UAE. About 62 per cent of respondents in the survey said that they cover the entire cost of their children’s school fees in the UAE. A further 24 per cent receive a contribution from their company while just 13 per cent have their school fees paid in full. When asked whether the school fees paid represent ‘good value for the quality of school offering’, a key factor is whether parents pay fees themselves. Fifty-four per cent of those who have fees paid think those fees represent ‘good value’ while this falls to just 27 per cent of those who pay in full themselves. Almost one in five families spend more than 30 per cent of their household income on school fees. This varies considerably, however, depending on particular school curricula. Those families spending 10 per cent or less of their income on fees is 42 per cent for Indian curriculum schools, 28 per cent of International Baccalaureate (IB) schools, 25 per cent of British curriculum schools and 19 per cent of American curriculum schools. Most parents interviewed by Khaleej Times weren’t aware of the website until they were informed about it. “I didn’t know about it. But once I checked the website out, I think it is great. Especially for new parents who are planning to move to the UAE. And even for resident parents, the site is great,” said Brian McPhearson, a chartered accountant. McPhearson’s daughters are students of Dubai International Academy. “My girls have been going to DIA for two years now. When we moved here, finding a suitable school for the girls was a task. We had to depend on suggestions given by other parents who’ve been living here. But websites like this really help,” he added. Indian parent and Dubai resident Shailesh Shrivastav said: “I have three kids and I’ll be honest. Educating them is perhaps one of my biggest expenses. I like the idea of a guide for parents to choose good schools for kids, but perhaps, particularly Asian curriculum schools need to be educated on ‘how to manage finances’ and it is a myth if people believe that quality education is only available in expensive schools.” Apart from surveys and findings, the website also offers individual reviews of different schools in the country and guides on choosing good schools for kids. Users can also register on the website and have discussions with other members and ask for school-related advice. dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
15 bus routes set to change in Abu Dhabi
15 bus routes set to change in Abu Dhabi Staff Reporter / 6 May 2013 In response to the growing need for bus services among commuters, the Department of Transport in Abu Dhabi (DoT) announced on Sunday that it has introduced route expansion and changes in ten buses operating in the Capital and five in Al Ain. The changes include cancellation of bus services in some areas and expansion of services on other routes. “These route modifications have been implemented following a comprehensive study conducted by the DoT on all existing route services with an aim to address commuters’ needs for world-class, convenient and almost round-the-clock bus transportation options,” said general manager of the Bus Office at the DoT Saeed Mohammed Fadel Al Hameli. He stressed DoT’s commitment in providing a wider geographic coverage through its bus services. Recently, the DoT embarked on an expansion of bus services by operating nine new routes, three in Abu Dhabi and six in Al Ain. Providing services for commuters in both cities, the new services have increased the number of total daily bus trips in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain by 27 per cent and 20 per cent respectively. The DoT’s bus fleet encompasses more than 800 world-class buses, providing transportation service to more than 170,000 commuters every day. More than 500 buses operate in Abu Dhabi, around 200 in Al Ain, while more than 80 buses provide inter-city services. olivia@khaleejtimes.com Bus service changes Abu Dhabi Route 5: Linking Marina Area with Al Sowwah Square-Mariah Island, with the bus stop at the Municipality Building now cancelled. Route 7: Will reach Sun Tower-Al Reem Island from Marina Area. Route 8: Expanded to reach Fish Market-Al Mina from Al Bateen West with the service arriving at the Marina now cancelled and replaced by service number 9 and 11. Route 9: Will stop at the Abu Dhabi Municipality Building. Route 32: Has been widened, providing a direct service to Al Khabairah area, Al Khaldiyah, and Al Muroor from Al Maqta West. Route 34: Connecting Ladies Club, Al Ras Al Akhdar with Abu Dhabi Court will experience direct services to Al Ras Al Akhdar, Al Khaldiyah, and Al Muroor. Route 44: Starting from Officers Club, will expand to the Iranian Market through Al Mina with travel time in Al Mushrif reduced. Route 52: Will reach Al Sowwah Square-Al Mariah, from Abu Dhabi Courts. Route 54: Has been expanded to reach Fish Market, Mina from Petroleum Institute, Umm Al Naar. Route 56: Will have a better reach to Khalifa Park from Mina Souq. Al Ain Route 350: Linking Bus Station with Police School-Sweihan, has cancelled its stop at Salamat and Al Yahar North Interchange. The service now reaches the Police School in Sweihan. Route 440: That connects Al Ain Bus Station with Al Musaffah Bus Station in Abu Dhabi, has cancelled the service between Twam Hospital and Al Ain Airport. The route now starts from Al Ain Bus Station, stopping at Al Yahar North Interchange and Al Saad Police Station, changing the route from Al Khatim, to stop inside Musaffah Bus Station in Abu Dhabi. Route 490: Connecting Abu Dhabi International Airport with Al Ain Bus Station. It will stop at Al Yahar North Interchange and Al Saad Police Station, then have its route changed in Al Khatim with stop service cancelled at both Abu Dhabi University and Al Mafraq Hospital. Service extends to Abu Dhabi Airport Terminal 2. Route 491: Linking Al Ain Souq with Al Yahar North, now reaches Alf Maskan Area and stops at Al Yahar North Exchange. Route X90: Linking Al Ain Bus Station with Abu Dhabi Bus Station, now stops at Al Yahar North Interchange. Continue reading
Khalifa, Mohammed praise UAE Armed Forces’ chivalry
Khalifa, Mohammed praise UAE Armed Forces’ chivalry Staff Reporter / 6 May 2013 The UAE armed forces were hailed for their chivalry, peace-keeping and deterrent abilities on the occasion of 37th Armed Forces Unification Day by the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The two leaders said the forces have strived to strengthen community bonds and have maintained peace at home and in the region with modern technology and strategic programmes. In a statement published by Diraa Al Watan (National Shield) magazine on the occasion of the 37 th Armed Forces Unification Day, Shaikh Khalifa said: “We greet and encourage you in your tireless efforts to improve your skills and qualifications to be able to serve your homeland and enhance its unity.’’ The President said that “building strength means building peace and the best use of force is to achieve security, justice, political and community stability internally” and to those in need in other countries. Shaikh Mohammed lauded the forces for their bravery, magnanimity, altruism and self sacrifice. “The unification and development of our armed forces contributed to enhancing our competencies and experiences and helped define our prime objectives towards sustainable development, a collaboration that unleashed our national capabilities to assume leadership positions worldwide,” he said. He recalled that the path was not easy and there were many hardships and challenges along the way, but hard work and perseverance helped in uniting the armed forces, he said. “My brother UAE President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and I were fortunate to share with our founding fathers this path in the early stages. We learned from our supreme commanders valuable lessons in leadership and perseverance,” he said. Shaikh Mohammed said learning was an ongoing process and asked the men and women of the forces to “live up to our expectations”. He also wanted them to keep pace with the latest developments in artillery systems and armament training. “Always be fit, armed and geared up for anything as we are living in a world swayed by turmoil and unrest, a world where friendships do not exist but interests. We are confident in our policies and methods based in establishing bilateral and friendly ties with the rest of the world, but at the same time we need to stay focused and alert to preserve our peace and stability. God orders us to sustain our strength and prepare ourselves to confront any danger.” He also thanked General Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and called him a true leader who had played a significant role in developing the forces. news@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
