UAE bans Emirati children attending sub-standard schools

Emirati children will not be allowed to attend under-performing schools in the UAE, following a ban by education authorities on Tuesday.

Schoolchildren will be banned from 47 sub-standard schools in the northern emirates, following the announcement made by the ministry of education.

Parents have been told to enroll their children in alternative schools for the 2018/19 school year, according to Gulf News.

Sharjah ruler Sheikh Sultan al-Qasimi told a local radio station that a local body would supervise local schools in the emirate.

"I would like to assure the school owners and parents in Sharjah that we will take good care of your children. We have been working on this projects for the past four to five months, and the necessary steps have been taken in this regard," he said. 

Twenty-five schools in Sharjah are affected by the ban, as are nine in Ajman, eight in Ras al-Khaimah, three in Fujairah and two in Um al-Quwain that were listed as "weak" or "very weak" in evaluations.

Rabaa al-Sumaiti, assistant under-secretary for quality and development at the ministry of education, told The National that there are only two schools in the UAE with "very weak" ratings.

"We have informed parents that they can't admit their children to these schools," Sumaiti said.