Dubai: Pupils sit in class and memorise textbooks of math, science and english in the first 12 years of their life, but how much of this knowledge do they actually use once they graduate?

No one can deny the importance of basic skills such as reading, writing and basic math and science, but how many times does one actually have to recite the periodic table of elements or calculate trigonometry equations in everyday life?

Parents and pupils often complain that schools do not teach life skills that are helpful and sometimes vital once they graduate.

To learn more about what subjects residents believe should be taught in Dubai schools, Gulf News conducted a survey of 4,650 residents.

The survey revealed that 30 per cent (1,380 people) thought that schools in Dubai should teach sustainable living, while 23 per cent (1,056 people) felt budgeting and finance are more important.

Palestinian Aya Qazoh, 24, who voted for sustainable living, said: “I read an article that said GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] countries will face extreme water shortages by 2025. If schools here taught pupils how to use water effectively maybe we wouldn’t have been in this situation.”

Nineteen per cent of people surveyed (866) felt first aid knowledge is vital while 12 per cent (551 people) believed domestic education that teaches pupils how to cook, clean and sew would make them self-sufficient.

Jordanian Ehab Al Hamad, 20, said he learnt that domestic education is important the hard way. “When I moved to the US for university, I didn’t know how to use a washing machine, I didn’t know how to cook and even clean as I was raised here in the UAE where I had a maid. I was used to the comfortable life that is typical in most GCC countries.”

Finally, occupational education (carpentry, knitting, etc…) received 10 per cent of the votes (462 people) while 7 per cent (335 people) believed playing an instrument professionally is important.

Many schools offer such subjects as part of extra-curricular activities. However, this requires pupils to use their free time, which can be difficult. Parents, students and educators believe that these activities should be part of the curriculum.

Hania Jardan, principal of the girls’ section of Al Ittihad Private School, said her school used to offer such subjects as part of the curriculum and pupils welcomed the move.

“What we did is take five minutes from each class to create an extra class where we taught subjects like décor and etiquette. You could tell that pupils saw this like a breath of fresh air compared to the academic classes.”

However, these courses were terminated because the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) came with a new rule that stated courses must be 50 minutes long.

“We tried extra-curricular activities. We even offered yoga and karate, but pupils didn’t show up because it was a hassle to come after school.”

Hania believes that these courses not only teach pupils life skills, but also build their personalities.

For example, if a student needs to learn better oral skills, then s/he can use the Islamic Education class, social studies, science or maths lessons to practice their presentation.

She also said that thanks to after-school activities, there should be no need for a school to shorten its academic day.