663 public and private schools participated in the study

Dubai and Sharjah schools exceed the global average in "reading progress"

  • Dubai students surpass the world average in reading skills. From the source

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The results of Dubai's third participation in the International Reading Skills Measurement Study (PIRLS 2021), which was recently revealed, revealed that students of private schools in Dubai achieved an average score of 566 points, exceeding the global average approved by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement - the body that implements the international assessment - of 500 points, ranking sixth globally according to the results of the international assessment in which about 61 countries and global cities participated.

Private schools in the Emirate of Sharjah, according to the results of the International Study for Measuring the Progress of Reading in the World, achieved 519 points, exceeding the global average of 500.

The results of private schools in Sharjah are similar to those of countries such as Germany and France.

In detail, the UAE recorded the highest rate compared to Arab countries, through the participation of 663 public and private schools representing the country.

Private schools in Dubai recorded a significant improvement in student performance compared to the 2016 cycle by 39 points, and by 76 points compared to Dubai's first participation in the 2011 edition.

27% of private school students achieved achievement levels within the international advanced level in the international assessment compared to 12% in the 2016 cycle.

Private schools with the British curriculum performed best with 588 points, followed by private schools with the International Baccalaureate curriculum with 583 points.

Dr. Abdulla Al Karam, Director General of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) in Dubai, said: "The results reflect the reality of our schools and provide quality teaching and learning to our students with international standards, and are evidence of the success of how school leaders, teachers, students and their parents have worked together to overcome the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially during the implementation of this international study." He continued: "We are grateful to everyone in the educational community in private schools, for their positive role in enhancing the competitiveness of the private education system in Dubai, and confirming that education in Dubai is moving steadily to be among the best in the world."

The results of the systematic analysis of the performance of private school students in the PIRLS study according to the classification of school inspection in the authority, showed that students who receive their education in private schools within the category of "good" or better according to the classifications of school inspection in the authority, achieved rates that surpass their peers in Dubai on the one hand, and the global average set by the International Authority for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement by 500 points on the other hand.

Private schools in the "Outstanding" category achieved an average of 631 points, while private schools in the "Very Good" category scored an average of 588 points, schools in the "Good" category achieved an average of 564 points, and private schools in the "Acceptable" category achieved 519 points.

According to Fatima Ibrahim Belrahif, Executive Director of the School Inspection Bureau at the Authority, the results of the international study are identical to the results of school inspection, as private schools in the distinguished and very good category showed performance above the global average, and we are proud of the dedication and commitment shown by our school community to support our students during the Covid-19 pandemic, and to emphasize the ability of the private education system to provide a teaching and learning experience for all students with high quality in various circumstances and conditions.

The study, which is held every five years, focuses on measuring the progress of fourth-grade students in acquiring basic reading and language skills.

Surveys involving students, parents and caregivers also provide students with an understanding of students' circumstances, including data related to their early learning experiences.

According to the results of the evaluation of the international study, private schools in the Emirate of Sharjah achieved 519 points, exceeding the global average of 500.

During the 2021 survey, 2823,64 students from 118 of Sharjah's 54 private schools participated, constituting <>% of the emirate's total private schools.

Compared to the last study, the participation of private schools in Sharjah has doubled, with only 32 schools participating in 2016.

The sample selected in private schools in the emirate (2823,34 students) represents five curricula: Australian, Indian, American, British and the Ministry of Education, of which 66% are Emirati students and <>% are resident students, with an equal ratio between males and females.

Three schools scored 600 points or higher, 36 private schools scored above the global average (500 points), of which 14 were classified as high (above 550), while 31 schools scored at an intermediate level (between 475 to 550) according to the level of performance measurement in the study, and by classifying the results by curriculum, schools with the British, Indian and Australian curriculum topped the results with rates above or compared to the global average of 500.

The International Study for Measuring the Progress of Reading in the World (Pearls) is an international standardized study, held every five years since 2005, and supervised by the International Organization for the Evaluation of School Achievement (IEA) to evaluate the performance of fourth grade students through a random sample of schools, and performance is measured according to four levels: advanced, high, intermediate and low.

It is worth noting that the Emirate of Sharjah will participate as a standard emirate during the next cycle of international tests, and all students of private schools in the emirate will be tested.

The study is based on a comparison between the participating countries in assessing the ability of fourth grade students in reading skills in their mother tongue, and this academic level was chosen as an important turning point in the child's development as a reader, as children have learned to read in this age period, as any deficiency in their understanding of written texts at this stage leads to a negative impact on their performance in most other school subjects.

Pearls is based on a comprehensive framework that requires measuring students' understanding of a large number of diverse texts, as the literary text reading test measures the student's ability to interact with the text, engage in events, places, actions, consequences, characters, general atmosphere, feelings and ideas, enjoy the language itself, and taste literature, and makes each reader apply the text to his experiences, feelings and taste for language.

The reading test also measures the student's ability to interact with informational texts to understand the world and what is currently going on in it, or what happened in it in the past, and covers scientific, historical, geographical and social contents, and the texts may vary in terms of organizing facts chronologically, organizing instructions or procedures sequentially, and presenting arguments in a scientific manner.

3 factors

The study provides important data on the student's experience in school, and the impact of three factors on his learning and reading skills, the first factor is the school principal's questionnaire that includes information about the school, students, curriculum, teaching methods, enhancing reading skills, teacher training, learning resources, discipline and behavior in the school.

The second factor is concerned with the student and measures students' opinions about the school and the classroom, his attitudes towards reading and learning at school, his relationship with his colleagues and teachers and what he practices outside the school of reading, while the third factor, according to a questionnaire directed to the guardian, covers the experiences and experiences of science that the student went through in the early learning stage, the activities and events practiced by the guardian at home, and the views of parents on various aspects related to schools.

Dubai Schools

■■ 94% of private school students in Dubai are highly digital self-efficacy.

■■ 87% of private school students are confident in their reading skills.

■■ Females outperform males in reading skills by 10 points.

■■ 90% of students in Dubai use digital devices to search for information.