Council of Private Schools pledges support for Dubai Government's education initiative

The Council announced that its mission would be to provide support to the Government's initiatives to establish Dubai as a centre of educational excellence.

Recognised by the Economic Department, and formally established earlier this year, current membership of the independent Council of Private Schools includes representatives of private schools across all sectors. Membership in the Council is open to participation from all private schools operating in Dubai and the Northern Emirates.

At the initial meeting, the non-profit Council unanimously nominated office bearers for their Executive Council, which included Mr. Faisal Belhoul, President, Mr. Roy Ritson, Vice President, Sunny Varkey, Secretary, Adonis Nasr Second Secretary in addition to members of the Council, Mr. Ram Buxani, Mr. Mohammed Keenan and Mr. Hugh MacPherson. The Council will hold regular monthly meetings and anticipates the development of a strong working relationship with various government bodies involved in development of the education sector including the Chamber of Commerce, Ministry of Education and the Economic Department.

"It is important that the private education sector support the vision and initiatives of the Rulers aimed at developing Dubai as a centre of knowledge; a true city of educational excellence. The creation of Knowledge City is already a signal to the world that Dubai intends to be at the forefront of education initiatives." said Sunny Varkey, Council Secretary.

"Through the Council of Private Schools we hope to further support the development of higher quality standards of education through a variety of measures and initiatives, including operating in an advisory capacity and interfacing with various agencies to provide policy advice and support for initiatives aimed at promoting quality private education and high educational standards in general," added Adonis Nasr, Second Secretary.

Aimed at sharing best practice, the Council will also provide informed advice to agencies on the development of policy governing education, both private and government sponsored, providing a pragmatic perspective and will look into ways and means to improve the quality standards of education for all students, irrespective of socio- economic background. "We hope that potential areas of collaboration and contribution from the CPS to the government sector will include development of relevant curriculum design and teacher training, both integral to meeting the new challenges of an increasingly competitive and global economy. Students need to have a holistic education that embraces a variety of relevant skills if they are to be successful and meet the demands of a changing world," said Faisal Belhoul, President of The Council for Private Schools.

The Council also announced that part of its charter would be the active support for activities and organisations that are involved in supporting children with specials abilities and needs.