BAKEWELL AND DISTRICT PROBUS CLUB WORKING IN DUBAI EDUCATION

L-R:John Hopkins and Club Chairman, Paul Davies

On a recent typically cold, grey and wet December day, the members of Bakewell and District Probus Club were reminded of sunny skies and summer warmth by their colleague, John Hopkins, who presented a talk about his experiences as a schools inspector in Dubai.

Having spent a career in teaching, culminating in a headmastership in Wales, and approaching the age of retirement, John was presented with the opportunity to serve as an inspector of schools in a team of education experts operating in the United Arab Emirates. Initially, his appointment was for a short period but, in the event, he spent twelve years based mainly in Dubai, although he also worked in most of the other UAE states during that time.

As he explained, the international nature of the businesses operating in Dubai with their high proportion of expatriate employees, has led to the establishment of a great number and variety of schools. These cater for the educational needs of the children of Dubai’s immigrant and transitory workforce as well as those of the more affluent members of the indigenous population. Of course, schools exist which are funded and run directly by the State, but it was the schools in the fee-paying private sector that came within the scope the of inspectorate of which John was a member. In order to illustrate the complexity of Dubai’s private schools, John described the mix of cultural, ethnic and religious differences between them. The nationalities of the students included those from India, Pakistan and other countries of South Asia, together with Americans and Europeans, and many from the UAE itself and other Arab states. The teaching staff in these schools reflected a similar range of nationalities.

The school inspections considered such factors as the students’ academic achievements, their personal and social development, the quality of teaching, and the appropriateness of the curriculum. Following inspections, schools were graded from ‘Outstanding’ through three intermediate levels to the lowest ‘Weak’. It was found that, overall, the standard of the private schools was high and, over the period between 2008 and 2024, consistently improving.

In concluding his talk, the speaker gave his impressions of Dubai. He described it as vibrant, clearly very prosperous and tolerant of foreign influences and attitudes, provided its own values and culture are respected.

Further details of the Bakewell and District Probus Club, including reports of earlier meetings, can be found on its website at www.bakewellprobus.org