With two and a half months of no school looking us in the eye, it’s time to plan the annual summer migration for a few weeks respite from the heat/impending cabin fever of a much quieter Dubai. When making holiday plans, you could do worse than sticking the proverbial pin on a map. You could ask friends for advice. You could go on travel and trip websites. You could borrow travel books from your local library. Bring home a brochure or two from the nearest airline agent.

Or, you could get some quick and fabulous ideas for your next getaway simply by looking at lists! We compiled the ones below by going through yet more lists put together by travel editors and writers who are in the know, saving you the time and hassle of having to do it. If you haven’t booked your tickets yet, this might just provide the inspiration you need to make the most of summer and of Dubai’s fantastic proximity to many wonderful destinations.

After all, one of the biggest advantages of living in Dubai is the chance to raise well-rounded, open-minded children with a world view who have the privilege of traveling to new places and trying new things.

Adventure holidays with kids

1. Sri Lanka is only four hours or so from Dubai, and a fabulous destination for families. It’s friendly, safe, great value for money and has plenty to offer in terms of good beaches, natural beauty, wildlife parks, tea plantations, ancient temples, sea-based sporting activities, shopping and fantastic guest houses. Check out Hikkaduwa, 100km from the capital Colombo, well known for its surfing, snorkelling and diving, impressive coral reef and beautiful beaches, where you can rent a beach house to yourself from as little as GBP450 per week, fish, dive, surf, or simply watch the sunset from your hammock with a cool drink in hand. Go to tropicalbeachhouse.com

2. For a taste of ancient history, amazing sights and cultural treasures, Egypt is a great choice, and again, not too far from Dubai. It’s a chance to bring your kids’ history books to life as you take them camel riding at the Pyramids, explore the tangle of tombs at the Valley of the Kings or sail down the Nile in a boat. For more ideas, check out http://www.onthegotours.com/Egypt/Family-Tours/Classic-Family-Adventure

3. A safari we hear you say? Kenya is a great option and a guaranteed crowd pleaser with its stunning landscapes, fabulous game viewing and beautiful beaches. A 12 day safari, at http://www.worldbigcatsafaris.com allows memorable experiences like your own private game drive, bush picnics, the chance to view migrating herds of wildebeest or zebra and visits to the Masai plus windsurfing, canoeing or sailing at the Funzi Keys.

4. Got a budding tennis star in the family? Or perhaps the next Rory McIlroy? The La Manga Club in Spain is located on the coast and has a 28-court tennis centre, three championship golf courses as well as junior academies in cricket, golf, football and dance, for the athlete in your family to train, learn and practice their way to the top ranks. www.lamangaclub.com

5. Give your kids a taste of la dolce vita! Italy’s got so many options, both for culture vultures in cities as well as for more laidback family groups in the countryside. This year, how about a stay on a farm at an agriturismo? There’s horseback riding, yoga courses, trekking, mountain bike excursions, golf clubs, art and cooking courses and so much more to do. Visit agriturismo.net.

6. Go camping! Give the kids a taste of summer camp in the UK. PGL offers children’s adventure holidays, tours, group residential camps and multi-activity and study courses for 7 to 17 year olds. They can try out a whole range of new activities like abseiling, circus skills, archery, dragon boating, fencing, motorsports and loads more, making new friends and acquiring new skill sets to be proud of. Check out //www.pgl.co.uk

7. Turkey’s Aegean coast has lots to offer the family…stay in a luxury villa, try a cruise along the coast and enjoy the spectacular views of mountain and coastline. Visit /www.exclusiveescapes.co.uk

8. Up and coming Vietnam is a wonderful destination as it’s inexpensive, friendly and offers a rich diversity of experiences and some delicious food. Check out http://www.selectiveasia.com for 12-day family holidays which encompass everything from a lantern workshop to city tours and bay cruises.

9. Check out the Adventure Company’s amazing selection of family holidays – which cater to kids from the age of two right up to the teens. They have everything on offer from astronomy tours to see the Northern Lights in Iceland, and solar eclipses in Utah, USA and North Queensland, Australia, to trekking holidays on the Inca trail or in the Atlas mountains in Morocco. Take a look at www.adventurecompany.co.uk for more fabulous ideas.

10. South Africa is another destination that’s popular from Dubai, and now is a great time to check out a 13- night self drive holiday to explore Cape Town, Grootbos Nature Reserve and Amakhala Game Reserve. On this holiday you can see penguins, seals, seabirds, watch dolphins, ride horses and come face to face with a Great White Shark in a feeding cage, or just lie on the beach! www.grootbos.com

Here is the full article from Gulf News (in quotes):

Here is the full report from the Gulf News story:

The number of students getting outstanding education has tripled over the past year, even though a majority of pupils continue to get only acceptable or unsatisfactory education in Dubai’s private schools, according to an annual school inspections report released by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA).

The report indicates an overall improvement in the education system, with up to 17 schools showing improved ratings while nine schools declined, but it also acknowledges that the progress is slow.

Five schools progressed from good to outstanding this year, joining the six that have continued to be outstanding. The number of students attending these schools has tripled from 6,177 last year to 18,546 this year, which is six per cent of the total number of students studying in private schools.

“The education system as a whole has shown substantial improvement both in terms of quality as well as quantity over the last four years and the inspection results show it clearly. There is a basic change in the way schools manage themselves now, while students and parents also are working towards the progress,” said Dr Abdullah Al Karam, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director General of KHDA.

Slow progress

At 49, the number of schools ranked good has remained the same as last year, the number of schools ranked unsatisfactory has declined from 16 last year to 13, which indicates slow progress.

“There is definitely improvement in all seven key areas that we have been looking at, but in some areas the progress has been slow. The majority of the schools are applying the suggestions made by the inspectors and I can assure you that even those schools that have been consistently ranked unsatisfactory have improved,” said Jameela Al Muhairi, Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau (DSIB) chief.

Jameela said previously most private schools treated Arabic and Islamic studies as extra and over the last four years more and more schools have made these subjects part of their curriculum, which she said was reflected in their ratings.

‘UK curriculum schools at the top’

UK curriculum schools continued to be the top category, with eight schools ranked outstanding, including the Kings’ Dubai School (KDS), which is the only institution to secure an outstanding ranking four times in a row.

Crediting the school’s teachers and management for its continuous success, the CEO and principal of KDS, Kevin Stedman, said: “A school is only as good as its people. We are delighted by our performance and we continue to strive for greater success so we never take any ratings for granted.”

However, he acknowledged that improvement in the school’s Arabic and Islamic teaching had added to its performance. Joining Stedman in identifying Arabic and Islamic teaching as key areas of improvement that has led to its superior rating is Robin Appleby, Superintendent of Dubai American Academy (DAA).

‘Very good experience’

“The format of the inspection system is pretty much British-based and it is difficult for other curriculum schools to fit in, but in the last four years we applied the suggestions made by the inspectors and it has worked out well. It has been a very good experience and one of the areas we have improved tremendously in is the Arabic language teaching and that has been acknowledged by the report,” said Appleby.

DAA became the first and only US curriculum school to be classified as outstanding.

The other schools that are ranked outstanding this year are GEMS Wellington International School, which has secured outstanding ranking for three years in a row, while Jumeirah College, Jumeirah English Speaking School, Dubai College and GEMS Jumeirah Primary School have been ranked outstanding for the second year running. Joining the list among UK curriculum schools are Jumeirah English Speaking School — Arabian Ranches and Jebel Ali Primary School.

Two Indian schools — The Indian High School and Modern High School — were also ranked outstanding this year.

See also our post on the news from Gulf News about the latest 2012 KHDA rankings…

Good news for Dubai expats: Private schools in Dubai that cater mostly to the Dubai expat population have shown progress in the KHDA rankings. Gulf News says ” The emirate’s education system continues its progress, albeit slowly, with five more schools joining the ‘outstanding’ list and three schools shrugging off the ‘unsatisfactory’ tag, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority’s (KHDA) annual private schools inspection report revealed.”

While most parents in Dubai reacted positively to the report, some have clearly interpreted the rankings as schools that have Arabic language teaching well figured out are ranked higher than schools that don’t focus on Arabic. The American School of Dubai (ASD) which is ranked as “Good” for 2012 is a prime example. It’s widely acknowledged as one of the best schools in Dubai, but KHDA did not rank it as “Outstanding” because the American School of Dubai is probably not as focused on Arabic.

Gulf News added “Out of 138 schools that were inspected by KHDA’s Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau (DSIB) between October 2011 and March 2012, covering 194,260 students, 11 schools were ranked outstanding, up from six last year.

Image credit: Gulf News Archive

At 49, the number of schools ranked ‘good’ has remained the same but the number of students attending these schools declined marginally, whereas the number of ‘acceptable’ schools has also remained the same at 65, indicating slow progress.

Positively, the number of schools ranked ‘unsatisfactory’ has declined from 16 last year to 13 this year.

But, the fact that 54 per cent of the students either get ‘acceptable or unsatisfactory’ education suggests that there is still a lot of work to be done, however, the number was much higher four years ago.

“The education system as a whole has shown substantial improvement both in terms of quality as well as quantity over the last four years and the inspection results show it clearly. There is a basic change in the way schools manage themselves now, while students and parents also are working towards the progress,” said Dr Abdullah Al Karam, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director General of KHDA.

Interestingly, this year the DSIB also engaged with 37,000 parents and the report indicates that parents are generally happy with the performance of the schools.

Another key finding of the report is that almost all schools in Dubai lack facilities and qualified staff to handle children with special needs.”

The school has a graded admissions policy anyway where students who hold American or Canadian passports are eligible first. With the ever growing expat population in Dubai, and the fairly large American and Canadian expat presence, it’s almost impossible for to passport holders applying to ASD to have a fair chance. The school added “We discourage applications from any applicants who do not hold US or Canadian passports as there is currently no realistic chance of enrollment in September. The only exception to this is grade 12 applicants.” See the school’s official Admissions status related page. ASD have some of the highest school fees in the UAE.

A young Canadian couple who have recently moved to Dubai commented “The fees are huge, and probably the highest in town. In spite of that, they’re full. This tells us that Dubai seems to have well recovered from the recession. And that the American School of Dubai has such a great reputation, that people are happy to pay the price”.

A parent who was hoping to get his child into Middle School in Grade 7 said to Schools in Dubai “We thought that having moved to the sprawling new campus there would be many more open seats in classes. Admissions closed early this year for all classes, and not having an American passport makes it impossible”. ASD’s Admissions Policy is fairly rigorous, and there are admissions tests for most every grade. The new campus, with a total cost of more than Dh400 million, accommodates 1,600+ pupils from kindergarten till Grade 12.

The schools website says “The American School of Dubai was established over forty years ago to serve the needs of the North American families and other expatriate populations of Dubai. ASD was the first American curriculum school established in Dubai and to this day, we are still the only non-profit American school located in the emirate. All resources, tuition and endowments go directly towards the benefit and education of our children. ASD is fully accredited in the United States by Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges. Our mission is clear; we challenge and assist students to become intellectually adept, thoughtful and ethical contributors to society.”

image credit: Gulf News

Here in Dubai, the bullying situation in schools seems to be no different. Expat schools in Dubai, seem to have a better, tighter reign on the bullying situation, but it does go on. Bullying often results in the child not wanting to go to school at all.

According to the report, it’s about the transient nature of the population in the UAE…  ”And because the UAE is essentially a transient society, newcomers who are still adjusting to their new environment could become easy targets of these bullies. Sometimes, it could be anyone who looks “different” from the average “normal” child.”

The Gulf News report says “Just days ago, 11-year-old Loujain Hussain, the youngest in her family, was just like any other happy, sweet little girl her age. Today, she is fighting to regain her health after days lying in a coma in a hospital, after a group of fourth graders attacked her so violently that it led to a brain haemorrhage.

The sheer scale of the violence meted out by the four boys sent shock waves across the community. The incident not only has revealed the ugly face of bullying in schools, but is also a wake-up call for society to put measures in place to prevent such incidents from recurring.”

Was this just an isolated incident or are we turning a blind eye to bullying?

“Schools in general should have a code of conduct about different levels of offences. We teach this code to the students at the beginning of the academic year and send it to parents who sign it and send it back,” said Adnan Abbas, director of Al Nahda School for Boys.

“Violence at schools should be dealt with at a social level first, through a dialogue established with the counsellor, awareness sessions and education on how to deal with peers’ misbehaviour. Schools should work closely with parents and students,” he said.

Effective supervision, instructions on how to behave, clarification on policies, ramifications, along with counselling have significant impact on violence in schools, he said.

Emirati lawyer Faisa Mousa said that violent incidents leading to severe injures, handicaps or death are dealt with according to the juvenile law.”

Also read  our insight on Cyberbullying in Schools in Dubai and our earlier post on How to be a better parent in Dubai. Also See our post on “When your child does not want to go to school.

Depending on the age of the child, and what needs to be taken to school every day, backpacks are usually a good option. Backpacks are carried on both shoulders – distributing the weight evenly. It also protects the child’s back, neck and spine from stress and strain. Weight in the bag should be evenly distributed. Parents should help the child pack properly for a few days so they know how to do it themselves over time. Heavier items such as hardcover books should be positioned at the bottom. In any case, the school bag, when packed, should not be more than 15% of the child’s body weight.

One factor that many parents in Dubai look for is a special area where a water bottle can be kept. Most packs today have that. As the child gets older, the volume or capacity of the bag becomes important. For a typical middle school child at ASD (American School of Dubai), a 25L – 28L (litre) bag is probably right. In late middle and high school, students may need to carry their own laptops (American School of Dubai). Parents need to check if the backpack has a padded laptop compartment.

One of the best brands available in Dubai is Jansport. Many parents order Jansport off Amazon. These bags are very popular. They are durable, fair on price, and come in various volumes and looks. The Jansport website has a cool feature that shows you what each bag fits. It also shows capacity (volume), weight and dimensions.

Many kids in Dubai actually prefer to use Wheeled Backpacks – but many schools in Dubai do not allow wheeled school bags on campus (American School of Dubai, does not allow wheeled backpacks for example). Other prefer the regular camping and adventure type backpacks such as those made by High Sierra, Columbia, North Face, Nike etc. All of these are available in malls in Dubai.

PhysioAdvisor.com has a list of tips to help you choose the right school bag:

Some of these tips are:

• Opt for a backpack with two even straps which allow the weight of the load to be distributed evenly over the body. Bags with only one strap can cause injury to the shoulder, back and neck from uneven load distribution.
• The centre of mass of the bag should be at waist height.
• Choose a bag that fits your child and is appropriate to their body size. It should rest comfortably against their back. Avoid bags that are wider than your child.
• The bag should have adjustable buckles or straps to lower or lift the pack into the appropriate position.
• Choose a backpack with a moulded frame and an adjustable waist belt, so that the weight of the backpack can rest on your child’s pelvis instead of their shoulders and spine.
• The waist belt will also help keep the bag close to the body and in place when moving around.
• All straps should ideally be padded and wide to help distribute the weight of the bag more evenly and over a larger area. This should include both the shoulder straps and the waist belt.
• The bag should also be padded where it touches the back.
• The bag should feature separate storage compartments to allow for heavy items to be packed close to the body.
• The bag should be made of firm material to prevent sagging.
• The bag should be lightweight and as small as possible whilst still practical. Larger bags may encourage your child to pack more than is needed.
• Children are fashion conscious and are vulnerable to peer pressure, so ensure your child is involved in the decision process when you are buying their backpack. If the backpack you choose is ‘uncool’, your child may compensate by carrying it in a ‘cool’ way, such as having it hang down around their buttocks or slung over one shoulder.

When your children are old enough to start interacting with your computer – playing a game, watching a video on YouTube, emailing their grand parents or friends, getting help on Google, and doing their homework online – that’s the time you need to get your “alert” mode going. As a parent who suffered, noted “We usually refuse to believe that our child could be drawn into something dangerous or unacceptable online – and it usually never starts with them – it’s always someone else that draws them in…”.

Spend some quality time with them introducing them to what’s good, and to the pros and cons of the internet. Ask them what they like, what their friends like, what they would like to do. Involvement is Step One.

Step Two in understanding – and accepting – that kids are increasingly spending time online. Often parents don’t even realize that kids access various aspects of the internet not only via browsers on your (or their) computer, but through video games, consoles, iPhones and smart phones, and through the latest had held gaming devices. Teaching them how to conduct themselves in this new age playground is key.

Share the absolute basics that are the ground rules:
1. Never send any photographs to strangers.
2. Never share any personal or family details such as names, school info, age, phone number or home location and addresses.
3. Never open an email from someone they don’t know. It may contain viruses or unacceptable content.
4. Keep all passwords private and secret – except for parents.
5. Tell parents when something bad or mean happens, if someone threatens them, sends them something weird, or asks them to meet somewhere.

Beyond explaining these ground rules for online behavior for your school going children, here are some other things you can do to help protect them from the big, bad online world…

1. Keep the computer in a central place, where every one can see what’s on the screen.

2. Stay involved (without stepping on their toes constantly) on what they are doing online – specially if it’s got to do with searching and looking for new information etc.

3. Tell them the “No-Can-Go” sites and “No-Can-Play” games rules ahead of time. Check out which sites they want to access, or which games they want to play and tell them if they are acceptable or no-go zones, until they reach a certain specified age.

4. Set time limits. Giving kids unlimited access to online causes unlimited problems for parents. Tell them how many hours they have a week.

5. Explain online habits. Explain strangers often play pretend games and they are not really who they claim to be. Explain how sometimes a nine year girl from the US is really a 50 year old man from Bangkok. They need to be clearly told that no matter how interesting or “just like me” the stranger sounds like, they are not to respond.

6. Switch Safe Search on as a setting. It’s great that most inappropriate content does get filtered by etisalat or du here in Dubai, but there are many slip ups and search results may often have content that’s not age appropriate.

7. Remind them that they should not engage in any form of cyberbullying – even in jest. They should not do anything online that they would be ashamed of doing in real life.

8. Beyond online, watch what content you have on your computer. Often we receive email that is not age appropriate for our children, but we leave that in our mailboxes or desktops. Set the example, clean up.

9. If your children have started to do their homework online, or are gathering information, researching facts etc, explain to them clearly how they should not “copy and paste” (plagiarize) content for their homework, unless they mention sources etc. Their teachers should help them understand this, but you should make it clear that this is not on.

10. Be involved. Be courteous. Be alert. Show on-going interest in what they are playing, reading, doing online. And always remind them that there is life (and a wonderful one) outside that screen.

Also read our earlier post on Cyberbullying in Schools in Dubai.

The report adds “Some parents said Dubai is relatively young when it comes to education and this can be unsettling. “Even if we have the world’s best universities, colleges or schools setting up base here, it is not the same thing because the infrastructure is still evolving,” said Peter Rogers, the father of a Grade IV student in an American school.

The mother of a Grade V girl in an international school which has just “rebranded” itself echoed the sentiment. “How can a school rebrand itself like a soap or perfume? We got our daughter admitted here because the school belonged to a well-known international educational group. Now all of a sudden we are told there is a new management. That too after we have paid the term fees.”

The parent of another student from the school said, “Such instances are becoming commonplace in Dubai. Another institution which abruptly changed hands recently left students and parents guessing. Where’s the accountability and credibility?”

Most parents believe inflation is no excuse for schools to jack up their fees. “Inflation affects our paying abilities too, not just their operational costs,” said the father of a Grade IV boy in an Indian school.”

HERE IS THE FULL STORY: Are Dubai schools value for money (Gulf News, April 19)

Dubai’s leading newspaper Gulf News published a report which stated that “The Dubai government has given green signal to private schools to increase their fees by a minimum of three per cent to a maximum of six per cent this academic year.

Schools rated as outstanding in the inspections will be allowed to hike fees by 6 per cent this academic year, while schools rated good will be allowed to do so by 4.5 per cent, and satisfactory and unsatisfactory schools will be allowed the lowest hike of 3 per cent.”

Gulf News also added that “Schools eligible for such considerations are not-for-profit and embassy schools and those investing in infrastructure that would lead to improvements in quality and directly benefit students academically. Special needs schools will also be given consideration.”

Meanwhile, many readers have written in to the newspaper complaining about the fee hike. While cost of living has gone up in Dubai, most salaries have not, and this seems to be the main cause of concern. One comment posted said “The quality that the students receive is not at all in line with the cost coversion on the fee amount paid. Apart from the school fees, parents have to depend on extra tution for kids to cope up for their syllabus requirements. The school rating and Fee increase is not really reflecting on the quality of education in the country. This situation needs some serious intervention.”

Here is a link to the full article from Gulf News.

See Fee framework guide as provided by KHDA.