Re: Schools to fly flag and play anthem

Reply to the article Schools to fly flag and play anthem published by The National. source…

“Raising the flag and playing the national anthem are a must for students when attending school because it reflects their national sentiments towards their nation, leadership and land,” Mr. al Qattami said in a statement issued by WAM, the state news agency It’s an interesting statement and a statement that embodies in its self a silent yet a very prominent reality of this country. Let me undo this jigsaw puzzle for you rather than putting the piece together. He talks about a national anthem and in this anthem there lay a verse “My country, my country, my country, my country” Whose country it this really? Is it my country cause I have lived here all my life and still need a visa or is it the country of the south Indian worker carrying glass for the windows of the skyscrapers to make this country glittery yet he as to go on a strike for his meek little pay or is this a country of those people who get the jobs where the only requirements they need to fulfill is “Only UAE nationals may apply”. This country defiantly is a country for those who can afford it. It has plenty to offer in its malls, its night clubs and its expensive developments. It has the most lit up highways for its people to enjoy. Only for those who can pay.

The anthem also says “Each of us swears to build you and work for you. Our work is pure, we work in purity” whose work are we talking about? And if work is so highly valued that it merits a mention in the anthem surly work has to be rewarded. Rewarded with the states of being an expatriate no matter what. Rewarded with deportation or rewarded with a ban after having a falling out with your employer.

I have sung this anthem all my school life and never once has the national sentiment towards this nation its leadership or even its land been evoked as I have always been an expatiate and always will be. Every time I wanted to say “Oh my homeland” I was reminded the expiry date of my visa. Every time the sentiment stimulated I was compartmentalized in one of the several boxes labeled Pakistani, Indian, Bengali, etc. I was never accepted as a part of the local community, the emarati community.

Never once welcomed with open arms and a smile instead was subjected to live like a Jew or a Christian in my own Islamic land. instead subjected to pay dhimmi. This literally means responsibility of protection. Protection from whom, from other neighboring Islamic countries. Protection from Oman, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan…

lastly all that i can say to Mr. al Qattami and the leadership and the people of this nation. I am a Muslim expatriate from past 25 years now with an outsider or a refugees way of life living in an Islamic country forced to sing for a nation that will never be mine and wave a flag that will never see me worthy enough of defending its honor its dignity.

I sure do feel patriotic!

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Study of humanities neglected in universities, report says

Higher education institutions say they want to correct an “imbalance” in the types of courses students are being offered and make more humanities subjects available.

More science and liberal arts courses should be made available, officials said, as figures showed that more than 60 per cent of programmes at universities were in business, information technology and engineering.
A study by the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR) found that business administration courses made up 25 per cent of the total offered by universities.

Information technology and computer engineering courses constituted 19 per cent, while engineering accounted for 18 per cent. Two hundred and seventy-six university courses were analysed…SOURCE

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AUS Enforces Book Fee; Students Angry

Returning American University of Sharjah (AUS) students are in a furore over a new rule that forces them to pay a Dh1,250 fee towards textbooks they may only buy at the institution’s bookstore.

Students say the new initiative, which comes into effect at the end of the month, is an added blow as the university increased fees by 12 per cent for the 2009-2010 academic earlier this year.

However, the university says the new rule was implemented to discourage infringements on international copyright laws.

“It’s a money-stealing scheme,” said AUS student Amnah Haddad. “We are forced to pay this money to buy books only from our bookstore, therefore we students cannot buy second- hand books as we used to.”

A letter recently sent from the university’s Student Accounts Department stated that the rule is an attempt to “abide by international copyright laws which the university must abide by to maintain accreditation”…SOURCE

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Censorship in Schools a Must Says Ministry of Education

The education ministry asked all private schools on Sunday to scrutinise textbooks, before prescribing them to students, to ensure they do not contain texts or images ‘defaming’ or ‘affronting’ God, religion or the UAE.

This move follows a recent complaint against a Grade VIII English textbook Elements of Literature — The Holt Reader (Second Course) in which God is reportedly described as a ‘toy’.

“We took the book and studied it case by case after we received complaints. There were certain pages that were inappropriate and there was a chapter that specifically described God as a toy. The education zone should now follow up with the schools,” Dr Mariam Al Ali, Director of the Supervising and Monitoring of Private Schools Department, Ministry of Education, told Khaleej Times.

Schools that follow international curricula are expected to strictly adhere to the ministry’s new standards, introduced last year, while prescribing books, or face ‘closure’. The new standards urge schools to omit flags and emblems of countries and organisations that do not share normal relations with the UAE. They have also been asked to refrain from discussing alcohol, drugs or homosexuality — issues unacceptable to the Arab and Muslim society.

“Schools should keep in mind the rules and regulations of the ministry and scrutinise text books for the best interests of the child,” Dr Ali said. “Schools have to abide by the new bylaws. We will warn schools and will not hesitate to close them down if they do not follow our norms. Our objective is not to close schools but make them aware.”…SOURCE

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Many DMHS Students Returning to India

Children to pay the price of fee hike

03/02/2009 08:51 AM | By Sunita Menon, Staff Reporter

Dubai: The fear of changing schools, saying goodbyes and having to sign farewell cards to their best friends who will be moving to India as a result of the 90 per cent fee hike has cast gloom over the otherwise stress free and happy school life of the pupils of Dubai Modern High School (DMHS).

While the parents committee is battling it out with GEMS (Global Education Management Systems) on the fee hike, at home they have to calm their children who are against moving schools and losing their circle of friends.

For them, they just want a school with teachers to guide them to grow up to be responsible and educated citizens, and not face the possibility of being plucked from the environment to which they have bonded emotionally.

All the pupils who spoke to Gulf News said they were happy attending school and have never demanded a bigger school.

“Nobody asked us what we want. We are the ones who are affected in their whole fee hike business. Be it at home or at school, all we talk about is the fee hike and the fear of moving schools and starting all over again. If you want to move us to bigger school premises why hike the fees?” a Grade 8 pupil who has been studying in the school for the last five years said.

The insecurity among the pupils can well be guessed by the fact that a Grade 2 pupil is unable to digest the possibility of changing schools.

She told Gulf News: “I told my papa that I want to continue at the school. I have a lot of friends and I like my school. I want to be with my friends.”

Another 13-year-old pupil said he is yet to come to terms that his best friend is moving to India permanently because of the fee hike.

He said: “I joined DMHS a couple of years back. It took me awhile to settle down and now I am just not ready to move and undergo the exercise all over again.”…

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Two-thirds of Modern High Students May Quit

The Dubai Modern High School (DMHS) will witness a pull out of two-thirds of its students in the next two years according to a professional survey conducted by the parents of the school.

However, the withdrawal will not be immediate because parents say they haven’t been given sufficient time to opt out.

This comes after the schools hiked its fee by 90 percent to relocate to a bigger premise at Nad Al Sheba in Dubai.

Parents organised a Press conference on Wednesday to reveal data collected from a sample size of 909 parents using surveymonkey.com, a tool to create web surveys. The survey was monitored for discrepancies for a period from January 29 to February 5.

“The survey has been filled by random parents of the school and represents 50 per cent of the student base,” said a committee member who disclosed the results to the media and will be forwarding it to the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) for review.

The concerned authorities declined from attending but GEMS, in a statement sent to Khaleej Times, said it valued the views of parents that were expressed, and will continuously engage in dialogue with them.

Sixty-seven of the 98 per cent of respondents, who are unwilling to pay the increased fees, will look for alternative schooling over the next two years contrary to the 50 Transfer Certificate request claimed by the school.

On the sidelines of the conference, many parents stated that they will continue educating their children at the school this year because they have passed the admission deadlines for most of the schools in Dubai.

“Schools say they have waiting lists, so how will they accommodate our children,” said one parent.

Parents received a circular on January 22 citing the fee hike and have time until February 20 to apply for a TC.

The parents are also determined to not adhere to the revised fee this year…SOURCE

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