About a year ago, I was speaking to my sister about how she felt about her kids education, and the first answer was,,,,IT IS TOO EXPENSIVE. When I heard the figures, I was shocked. It is almost as much as what I am paying for my Masters degree. And she was not very content with the school and that is why she transferred her kids to another school.
So it is a high price that we pay for almost no quality. What is interesting in most elementary and secondary schools, even with high school, is that the quality of teachers is getting worse than before. A lot of teachers seem to be not interested and it is more of a job rather than a mission. What makes it worst is that a lot of these new generation teachers bring in values that are foreign to our society and culture.
I recall in my old days, that most teachers did actually teach with passion. In fact, their role was more than simply teaching; they were more like parents to us, guide us to what is right and keep us away from what is wrong. This was of course due to the simple fact that they shared the same values the society has shared.
Things are getting worse. A friend of mine decided to look for a new nursery for his little boy. The current nursery had a lot of issues, like changing timings with almost no notice and charging parents extra for no valid reason. When he inquired about his current problem, he was told this is how it is, and all nurseries are the same in Dubai. So, on his pursuit for a better place, he enters a nursery and the receptionist is talking on the phone (of course nothing related to business) and almost give them no attention. As She is on the phone, she puts the brochure on the reception deck (I will probably talk about customer service in a separate post). Anyway, this one went to the extreme. As the receptionist slams the phone, she, says the “F” word . Well, this is the experience at the front door of a nursery. Imagine, what is happening inside.
It is sad that authorities are not doing much about it. We are leaving our education system drown in this unhealthy and ruthless marketplace. It is a pity that education has become a victim of demand and supply only. The idea of calling it a market place is even a bigger problem. Frankly speaking, it is really becoming a financial burden for parents to send their kids to elementary school. Parents want the best education for their kids, yet with the prices are simply skyrocketing without any control, I am not sure how a lot of people will be able to take their kids to schools without getting loans starting from nursery all the way up to college. These financial burdens will have their knock on effect on the society, as many people can not really afford to take these loans. And if they do, they will struggle to pay for them.
Well, this tells you one thing; if you have money then you better start a school or even a nursery. And trust me that the demand is so high that anything will work. But if you produce a quality program then trust me that you will succeed before you even know it.
I was talking about this a few days ago with my friend’s mother. half way through the semester we “accidentally” found out that her son who is in the 2nd grade has no teacher, and the woman we spoke to (the one supposedly in charge) said “please wait for another 2 weeks” so half a semester has already passed, and another 2 weeks?… The boy could’ve been home schooled (which is what’s happening now since there is no follow up from a teacher) and the school shouldn’t be paid for that period of time. From the very beginning of the year, they have introduced the kids to a sports teach and were told that she’s their teacher (Explain why the kid didn’t complain through this time). So not only did they minipulate the kids, they have also tricked the parents in believing that their kids need to be dropped down a year because they’re not being able to “read” or “function” as well as his fellow classmates. The reasons may differ, the first reason might be as you said; schools are being treated like a business and not like a tool of education. Another reason might be that the people working there are not doing it for the right reasons (the sake of educating people). What’s really sad is that there is no one to stop them from what they’re doing, to clear the confusion of how education is different than “business” and “gaining revenue”.
great piece, and yes so many issues involved…but the bottom line i think is that parents are willing to pay big amounts in return for excellent quality education AND care for their kids. but when you don’t get it, then parents can go bananas themselve and you feel like smacking people.
for me, i think many times what if i just send my kid to the desert to live the bedouin life and learn the best lessons from life there as our ancestors did? my father did it, and managed to get a PhD at the end of the day… so many others did it too! much simpler, much more effective, and it’s almost free!
we can only hope things get better, becuase no one is regulating/monitoring this sector properly -at least in the Arab world!
thanks for sharing
First, I would like to commend you for an editorial piece. Am amazed and delighted on how living in Korea made you discover your journalistic talents. Mabrook!
Anyways, when I was reading through your blog, what I can derive from it is that if ever I will have a kid in the future, I would opt for home schooling because I care and most teachers don’t. It has been a trend back home. I believe we both belong in a generation that was able to harvest the best of the educational system, it is our option and our responsibility to teach the next generation that library card catalogues are much better than google and encyclopedia are better than internet. Life was richer, when you actually study for your exams, and children’s rights does not include suing a teacher for penalizing a lazy and irresponsible student.
However, as they say, we have to adapt by these changes. It is a faster and smaller world my friend, the culture is not anymore by country or by region. It is indeed global. Arab’s issues are our issues too. But the choice is ours to make a difference. You see this as a problem, your heart breaks for what is happening in the system of education. You are worried on the next generation’s futre. It is for you and me to do something about it, as I remember you told me once, try not to save the world. But in trying we make a stand. In trying there is a chance to make a difference to make this world a better place.