EDUCATION WHEN FEWER CLASSES MEAN MORE LEARNING Dubai school’ 3 adoption of new shorter working week model set to show the way DUBAI BY FAISALMASUDI AND SAMIHAH ZAMAN Staff Reporters ast month, a private school in Dubai, The In- dian High School (IHS), Imade front-page news for reducing the normal five-day school week to 3.5 days. The move will apply to grades 11 and 12 starting from April, when the new academic year starts for Indian schools. The extra time out of school will be spent by students to pur. sue anything productive and worthwhile that fulfils their passions, skills and goals — be it painting, learning a new lan- guage, volunteering, internships, sport classes, or even more in- tense academic leaning. It is a big departure from the “normal”. But thatis the point of THS and Dubai's education regu. lator, which is overseeing the school’s programme and other “disruptions” in the education sector in Dubai. What IHS, and other schools under the ‘Rahhal’ programme of Dubai’s Knowledge and Hu- man Development Authority (KHDA), are trying to do fits with ‘Dubai 10X’, the government’s ambitious plan to accomplish 10 years’ worth of progress in two years or less. The plan’ includes shaking up the education system so that schools not only align them- selves with UAE national agenda targets — the academic ones — but also place student well-be- ing, happiness and interest above the old way of thinking — like a five-day school week. WHY GO 3.5? Ashok Kumar, CEO of IHS, told Gulf News the current school sys~ tem, in general, is “too ac: and does not leave enough room and time to “enhance the emo- tional quotient” of young minds. Kumar started thinking about what must be done to ensure high-school graduates are not lacking in “emotional intel- ligence” or “life skills” which many leading global universities and employers expect now. The best way would be to give students more time during the week to focus on what inspires them outside the classroom. But would that interfere with their studies? “Instead of thinking ‘num- ber of days’, we started thinking ‘number of hours’. Thirty hours in five days or 30 hours in 3.5 days is the same thing — it is 30 hours, This way, out of the seven days, students would get 3.5 days for themselves and 3.5 days for academics,” Kumar said. Thirty hours is the minimum number of hours schools such IHS, which are affiliated with In- dia’s Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), must dedicate for academic teaching per week. The specifics of the 3.5-day system are being finalised at the moment, but the basic idea is to compensate for the 1.5 days outside the classroom by extend- ing the normal school day by two-and-a-half hours. In order ig-ur-RenmarvGuit News Arehives The Indian High Schoo! (IHS) has reduced the normal five-day school week to 3.5 days ina move that seeks to ‘enhance the emotional quotient’ of young minds, STUDENTS SPEAK Tanisha Crasto (Grade 10) She Is currently the badminton ‘champion in the UAE, GCC and India in the junior category. 1 knew early on I needed to take badminton as my career, | had talks with my parents and | toldithem | either can do my studies or pursue badminton, That's when Rahhal was introduced and it came at just the right time for me," she said. Now that Crasto is back at IHS, after practising and competing in India and other countries, she has to catch up with studies. Like with the other Rahhal phase one students, her classmates have been taking extra study notes for her and she is receiving one-to- ‘one personalised tutoring at school for ea "Going for Rahal wasn't easy, but it was total the best of both worlds,” Crasto said. Tanish George Mathew (Grade 9) He was able to use the time off from school to chase his swimming goals —hels currently number one in Indiain the under-17 category. Earlier, when he was in grade eight, he had to miss some exams because he went for training in India, That experience was stressful, Mathew sald, but this year Rahhal was at his side. “All this — my swimming dreams, my studles — has been possible because of Rahhalhe said Kushagra Srivastava (Grade 11) ‘He wanted to increase his skilisand subjects in Artificial Intelligence, Big £ Data and other computer sciences, + He also wanted to prepare SS challenging entrance exams for Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), pascal! ad take after high *So | joined Rahhal and went to India. I travelled a lot between India and Dubai so | could take my school term exams. |had the interest [in computer sciences] but | didn't know how to prepare for, say, the liT exams, or do internships, because | couldn't leave school long enough to learn all that. I got there through Rahhal” said Srivastava. thitas 1got to meet the 30-hour require- ment, the new school timings will “most probably” be from 7.30am-3.30pm (with the half- day two hours shorter) he or she wants to pursue in the 5 days, subject to a few condi- tions, Kumar said. Ifa student decides to join an. other institute, the institute has As the school is not coeduca: tional, boys will have a different 35-day cycle than girls. In total, there are some 1,200 students in grades 11 and 12. Kumar said itis Possible that the 3.5-day system will be extended to grades 9 and 10 after gathering the experienc- es of the higher grades. Each student will choose what to be KHDA-recognised; attend: ance will be taken; and the part: nership between IHS, parents and the institute will be in writ ing, lasting for the school year. Every new academic year, es 11 and 12 (possibly oth ers) will follow the “ongoing and permanent” option at IHS for the shorter school weekADVOCATES & LEGAL CONSULTANTS. Ogigil Qgplicuns 9 Gyalens Al Shamsi & Partners as 058 ylilve 9 walt! NOTIFICATION This is to invite the attention of all students of the Indian High School (School) their parents and others that you cannot use (a) words, spoken or written or (b) the social media platform to cast and propagate false and baseless malicious allegations and insinuations about the School, without any justification, so as to cause hatred and contempt in the minds of the public and harm the business character and reputation of the School, which has been built assiduously over the years. Such actions would be construed as grossly libellous and defamatory and constitutes an offence under the UAE law, punishable with a term of imprisonment. In this context the following Articles of the UAE law are germane to the purpose and mentioned herein below. Penal Law No. 3 of 1987 and its amendments thereto Article 372 Shall be punishable by confinement for a period not exceeding two years or by a fine not exceeding twenty thousand dirhams any individual who, through any means of publicity charges another person with an incident susceptible of making him subject to punishment or exposing him to public hatred or contempt. In the event where the act of libel is expressed by publication in newspaper or printed matter, this shall be considered a circumstance of aggravation. Article 373 Shall be punishable by confinement for a period not exceeding one year or by a fine not exceeding ten thousand Dirhams any individual who makes, through any means of publicity, a false accusation which dishonours or discredits a man in estimate of public, without imputing any specific incident to him. In the event where the act of slander is expressed by publication in newspapers or printed matters, this shall be considered a circumstance of aggravation. O71 6422 3808 5.8 #71 4422 4905 cole» 1 ASSHE aoa 88 GALI GLa ga 98 Gad a GeAll LE Ge Vision Tower, Business Bay, 36th Floor, P.O Box 15568, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubal, UAE “Tel: #971 4 422 4303, Fax: +971 4 422 3803, Emalt:info@lawuae.comADVOCATES & LEGAL CONSULTANTS Ogaigil® yg ylitione 9 Geelee Al Shamsi & Partners a 298 lds 9 (rusLéul| Cyber Crime Federal Law No. 5 of 2012 and its amendments thereto Article 20 Without prejudtice to the provisions of slander crime prescribed in Islamic Sharia, any person who insults third party or has attributed to him an incident that may make him subject to punishment or contempt by third party by using an Information Network or an information Technology Tool shall be punished by imprisonment and a fine not less (AED 250,000) and not exceeding (AED 500,000) or by any of these punishments. In the light of the aforesaid provisions of the UAE law, kindly refrain from making any reckless, false and misleading statements about the School which could expose you to criminal / civil proceedings. Ab Shams, Pawliners Al Shamsi & Partners Advocates and Legal Consultants (Legal Advisor ~ Indian High School) O71 4422 5008 5 .Sib #071 4422 4803 Le pT 15858 aga 38 GAN Leal GAN 9B gad ab Gt GLE ge Vision Tower, Business Bay, 36th Floor, P.O Box 18558, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE “Tol: #971 4 422 4903, Fax: +971 4 422 3803, Email: info@awuae.com