The choice of educational institution in the UAE for Your children

If you want to move to the United Arab Emirates with children of the school age, the first question to arise is what educational establishment to choose. We can reassure you, education in the UAE is of the highest quality, and the choice of schools is sufficient to meet all your requirements.

To help you in making a decision, we can offer a list of main points to consider.

The main criteria for choosing a school in the UAE

1. Language of learning

If you move to the UAE for a certain period of time, and intend to return to the home country, you had better choose your home country schools.

If you are going to stay in the United Arab Emirates for a long time, it would be better to enrol your child in an English-language school. But you should take into account the level of English proficiency of your child. If it is full beginner or elementary, while choosing an educational institution it is necessary to clarify whether there are special language courses, and adaptation programmes for foreign pupils.

2. The educational system

There are three main educational systems in the UAE: American, English (British) and international. The most popular is the English one, as it is thought to provide fundamental training.

American schools are not so popular, there are fewer of them, and therefore it is more difficult to enter them. The main features of the American system of education are an individual training curriculum and a continuous assessment system: the grades are granted not at the end of the semester, but according to the results of studying a particular subject.

The international educational system is of relatively recent origin. It is considered as the most progressive, and diplomas of international schools are admitted by many famous universities in the world.

3. The KHDA rating

Every year in the UAE all schools are officially rated according to the results of inspections. The most prestigious schools have the mark “Good” and “Outstanding”. One can familiarize himself with the rating on the website: www.khda.gov.ae.

4. Grading

If you care about the quality of knowledge your child will get, ask in advance about the grading system. Some schools in the UAE slightly overstate the grades not to upset the parents. Such an attitude relaxes the students, and it may result in difficulties while entering the university.

5. Location

Certainly, it will be better if the school is located as close to the place of your residence as possible. Otherwise, you will have to take your child to school by car or allow them to take the school bus. Almost all schools have school buses; in every bus there is a teacher who keeps an eye on children and guarantees their safety.