Poll: Do Dubai schools deal with bullying well?

Dubai: The majority of pupils aged 15 and above believe their schools deal well with bullying, a survey by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) has found.

The 2013-14 KHDA survey was completed by a total of 74,093 respondents, of which 42,805 were parents, 17,548 were pupils, 8,619 were teachers and 124 were principals of private schools.

KHDA said it aims to use its annual surveys to develop the private education system of Dubai as well as update education policies and guide community-building activities.

“We have been able to introduce new concepts and ideas based on your feedback from last year’s surveys,” said Hind Al Mualla, Chief of Engagement. “In time this positive engagement will lead to further improvements in Dubai’s education sector, giving more students access to high-quality teaching and learning.”

The survey found that the majority of the 17,548 pupils, who were aged 15 and above — 80 per cent — agreed that their schools dealt well with bullying, while 81 per cent said they were treated fairly in their schools and 93 per cent agreed that they were safe and well-looked after at school.

The survey also found that 84 per cent of pupils believe that most of their teachers provide them with good quality education while 89 per cent were content with the education they receive from their schools.

The KHDA can attribute the decrease in bullying incidents to the parent/school contract introduced by the authority last year, which obliges schools to have clear anti-bullying and student conduct policies.

The survey found that 96 per cent of the 42,805 parents supported the contract, believing that a legal, detailed contract between them and the school was important.

Ninety-five per cent of parents surveyed said their children are happy at school, while 87 per cent said they are content with their children’s education in school.

In the survey, 65 per cent of the 8,619 teachers said they were given enough time to prepare lessons and mark pupils’ work.

A total of 96 per cent of the teachers said they are satisfied with the quality of education in schools.

The majority of principals surveyed — 97 per cent — said they were satisfied with the quality of education offered in Dubai.

All the principals say they support Emirati students in preserving their national identity.

Next year, the KHDA will distribute a total of 222,000 surveys to parents, pupils and educators.

The first batch has now been issued to more than 110,000 people, including more than 7,500 teachers, around 90,000 parents, 67 principals and more than 15,000 pupils.