Maryam Ismail makes some excellent points about why people choose to home-school their children in her opinion article When the school bell rings, you'll find my kids at home (October 1).
However, I think that she misses one of the most crucial elements to home schooling in the UAE. For expatriate families, schooling options are generally limited to for-profit schools.
Perhaps for-profit schools can provide children with an excellent education. But education and the cultivation of children’s well-being is simply not their primary mission. It is merely a potential effect of their actions. These schools exist to return a profit to their shareholders, no more, no less.
For-profit schools tend to sell parents a package based on a notion of educational success. But this does not always translate into honest hard work for children. Many schools go to great lengths to paint a picture for inspections that will allow them to increase fees.
In this environment, some people simply choose to opt out and provide their children with a learning environment that is tailored to their individual needs. It is why the home-schooling movement is growing worldwide.
In my opinion, the UAE Government might do well to seek to emulate the home-school model by looking at the individualised needs of children, rather than facilitating corporate profit taking for schools.
Silvia M Aldredge, Dubai
School is not just about studies, but also about learning social skills. I think you will limit your child’s future by going for the home-school option. For example, has anyone who was home schooled ever got into universities such as Oxford or Cambridge? Even if there are some, the number must be very small.
Zoe Shephard, Dubai
I’m 100 per cent in favour of home schooling.
If you look at the success rate across the world, particularly in the US, it becomes clear that it works better than traditional schooling for many. Not everybody learns the same way. In the regular school systems, only a certain type of students excel. That does not happen in home schooling.
Sajjad H Rizvi, Oman
Mobile scams are common
I refer to the question on your Facebook page: Have you ever received a telephone scam call in the UAE? Yes, a few days ago I received a call from an Etisalat mobile number and the person on the line congratulated me saying my number had won Dh500,000. I told him that I didn’t do anything to win such a big sum and asked him to keep the amount.
Sumera Malik, Sharjah
It’s usual in Dubai. I received such calls many times but hung up immediately.
Khurram Jamall, Dubai
I received these calls many times, but the funniest one was from a man who identified himself as an Etisalat staff and told me that I won a prize from du.
Umit Kurkcu, Dubai
Once I pretended that I believed him. He requested me to meet him. I agreed to see him at a location that did not exist and he told me: “What a coincidence, I am not far from there.”
Bano Gul Yes, Dubai
We need to think about others
Most social problems come from one simple thing: lack of consideration for others (Why I hate going to the movies in the UAE, October 2). If we are aware of others' feelings and sentiments, many of those problems can be eliminated.
Elena Akopiyants, Abu Dhabi
