Advice required from expats married to Emirati's re: schools | ExpatWoman.com
 

Advice required from expats married to Emirati's re: schools

25
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 09 November 2011 - 03:00

My DH and I are finding it hard to know which school to send our DD to. We like Wellington, but being Emirati, we don't know what is best for her when it comes to her education in the long run. Do we go with a local private school, or stick to the British curriculum private school? My DH has been told that if she goes to a school such as Wellington, she will lose her rights to a scholarship for Uni, or at least have a lesser chance of scholarship. Has anyone else had this dilemma? Advice much needed!

114
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 19 August 2015 - 20:23
Have a look at American Academy in Almizhar . All girls school and mostly emirati students and other different nationality.
984
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 30 July 2015 - 16:41
Have you looked at Latifa School for girls as an option?
172
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 28 July 2015 - 00:21
awoosha have you stuck with Dar al Marefa? My first kid is probably the same age as yours and we're in the process of moving to Dubai. I'd really like to hear how the school has been for your family.
8
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 19 December 2011 - 16:58
Hi Dubai Chick...know exactly ehat you are going through!!! DD is Emirati and Im British so had the same dilemma with my DD. Finally came to a compromise and sending her for KG in Dar Al Marefa. Its in Mirdif, an IB school and has a fifty fifty split in Arabic and English. It has islamic studies too and is very keen on promoting Emirati culture. For the time being its going well...daughter is picking up loads of Arabic and obviously doing well in English because we speak it all the time. DH happy and I am too as at least I can speak to the teachers about her progress which you cant do in the same way in a local school. Problem with a lot of the other good schools is no Arabic in FS/KG so they miss out. Hope this helps!!! :)
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 19 November 2011 - 04:30
Something to consider is the student body, and how you want your daughter to identify herself in the future. Do you want her to identify strongly with her Arab/Islamic heritage or her British heritage? Do you plan to encourage her to wear hijab? Do you intend to encourage her to date, or to wait for an arranged marriage? Do you want her to raise her kids as practicing Muslims? These questions may sound funny, but it's better you sort it out now before deciding to change tactics when she turns 14. I am saying this because school really defines a child's social circle, who they feel comfortable with and aspire to be like. I grew up Muslim in the States, attended the local public schools in a White community, and while my parents moved heaven and earth to ensure that I grew up with the Islamic values they wanted for me, I honestly believed that abortion was okay in Islam until I moved here and talked to American Muslim converts who had lived here for a while. I am not Arab but I respect my DH and understand the great value the Arabic language holds in the Islamic religion. <em>edited by Apricot on 19/11/2011</em>
645
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 12 November 2011 - 13:59
The Ministry of Education will give a high school equivalency certificate to UAE Nationals who have A levels / IB Diploma etc. This will then enable the students to avail of the same opportunities as Nationals. Saying that, the rules change so much and so frequently, you should go with your gut, and choose the education that is most important to you.
466
Posts
EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 09 November 2011 - 21:40
We too are a "mixed" couple and have educated our children in a British School for primary and now in American/IB for secondary. I know your dilema and lost a lot of sleep over it but I simplified it by bringing it down to this - Do I want them to have a good education (and I don't mean just reading and writing, but a good all-round education in social skills,manners, environmental awareness, mixing with other cultures and so on) or good Arabic Language/Islamic Education. Unfortunately, there aren't any schools that I can see giving a child both of these. My decision was because at the end of the day, you can teach a kid a language and your religion but day-day-skills and manners, which are so lacking these days are something that has to be taught on a daily basis and sadly, I don't feel that the local/Arabic schools put that much emphasis on this. About the scholarship - I'm not sure what the rules are now. It used to be that if you didn't go to a school which ran the Min of Education curriculum, then you couldn't go to one of the universities in the UAE. At one point when my children were in primary school, I used to have to write and petition the Minister to allow my kids to be educated in a British school, as is my right to chose as their parent. This has not been the case for a few years and in any case, I would prefer my children to be at university outside of the UAE as again, the skills they would learn living away would be so completely different to living in our little bubble here. I hope this was helpful.
 
 

ON EXPATWOMAN TODAY