UAE- 51% pupils study for just 1 hour at home

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)  The majority of students in the Capital spend, on average, one hour or less studying and doing their homework, a recent survey reveals. This year's student and parent satisfaction survey by the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) was participated by 40,000 parents of students from the public and private schools in the emirate. According to them, 51 per cent of their children spend one hour or less studying at home and doing their homework every day, and 17 per cent spend less than 30 minutes. Only six per cent spend three hours or more. On parents' satisfaction with student achievements in some subjects, results indicated that average levels are relatively low. The highest satisfaction level is on Islamic Education at 62 per cent while that on English and Arabic languages scored the lowest at 57 per cent. The survey results also showed that a significant number of students from various grade levels receive private lessons. As many as 20,775 parents or 47 per cent of the respondents said that their children received private lessons in Arabic, English, Maths and Science. The satisfaction surveys are being carried out by the Adec every year to elicit feedback from various stakeholders who play a key role in the emirate's educational process - parents, students, principals and teachers both from the private and government schools. "The Adec encourages the engagement of all sectors and all types of schools in order to achieve its strategic goal of developing the educational system. All stakeholders are partners in developing, implementing and evaluating educational plans," said Dr Mugheer Khamis Al Khaili, Director-General of the council. This year's surveys address various areas directly related to the physical and social aspects of the learning environment at schools. These included parent satisfaction with engagement in decision-making at schools, teaching and learning techniques, local culture and heritage in curriculum, academic and career guidance, and student development for meeting labour market requirements. According to Dr Masood Badri, Adec's Executive Director of Research, Planning and Performance Management, many parents asked for a more effective academic and career guidance for their children and less student assessment requirements (such as projects, research) particularly in Cycle 3 (Grades 9-12).