The Truth about Choueifat "Schools"
I recently came across these comments about Choueifat schools and I thought that they might be of interest to some parents.
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The 25 or so Choueifat schools around the world follow a curriculum called the SABIS system, and it is appalling. Students are forced to rote memorize reams of information in all subjects, information that will be slightly adjusted and increased from year to year, so that effectively they are relearning the same material in the same way again and again and again from year to year. No matter what grade they are in, students are never held accountable for having actually learned anything before, so they are constantly reinventing their boring wheel.
The curriculum materials are so cheaply and badly produced, it is almost unbelievable. In English, for example, the main textbooks are SABIS written and produced military histories from grade four through grade twelve. No real literature is used because literature is, by its very nature, subversive and therefore threatening to the fundamentalist Islamic values that the SABIS system caters to. The Maths programme is better, because the SABIS system of testing and retesting the same concepts over and over again lends itself more effectively to a largely linear area of study. Science education is also limited, churning out technicians rather than thinkers.
Thinking is discouraged generally, with all students and teachers across the system forced to follow exactly the same lifeless lesson plans from day to day, without regard to teacher or student interests or abilities. SABIS students will never, for example, create their own original videos as part of a graded class project. When some better informed parents complain about this kind of monotony and insensitivity to different learning styles, the SABIS system responds with an extracurricular program they call Student Life. All of the fun and creative work is supposed to happen in there, outside of the graded class work and along with sports. But in fact most kids end up spending most of student life playing soccer, which they would have done anyway. It is not a venue to stretch and grow, because it is not graded, and grades are all that students take seriously here.
I also question the academic integrity of the school, even judging it within the parameters the SABIS system sets for itself. Students take tests constantly, mostly multiple choice tests, and if they fail they are supposed to be retaught the missed material and then they are retested. They post improvement charts saying, "Look how much the students improved after retesting!" But in fact many times the students were allowed to retest three or even five times between the first score and the last, and it is a rare person who wouldn't pick up a few more points after taking essentially the same test five times running. British teachers seem to find the SABIS system less offensive than American teachers do.
I would welcome being in touch with teachers who have taught at SABIS, especially at the Kindergarten - Grade 1 levels. International research supports quite low teacher:pupil ratios for this age range. SABIS prohibits direct communication between teacher and parents, yet for very young children having 'continuum of care' between home and classroom fosters openness and greater ability to engage, learn, and grow. The early years are critical in psycho-social development, language and creativity. I would like to understand the SABIS answer to this directly from teachers.
Hi! My eldest child graduated in Chouiefat Abu Dhabi and was accepted in 2nd Top University in Canada, the University of British Columbia (UBC). FYI, UBC is among world’s Top 30 university. I know that more than 2 of her batchmates got acceptance in UofT, No.1 university in Canada and Top 17th University, in UC Davis, etc. Please check at their school lobby, you will be amazed of seeing letters accepting their students from world’s top universities like Harvard, Yale, UofT, UBC, Cambridge, etc!!!
What are you talking? You want to know the quality of a certain school? Know the percentage of university acceptance of that certain school!!!
My youngest is in Newton Barwa, now in 9th Grade. Gosh, their graduates, even the brightest, did not even get admission to a reasonably rated university! And the tuition fees almost double!!!
Unfortunately Choueifat "schools" still seem to be in operation in several countries in the ME, including Qatar. I suppose they are popular with some parents because the fees are lower than they are at proper schools. (Of course it is not so expensive to hire "teachers" who do not have any qualifications.) What is there for Choueifat to be "proud" about, tonyhanna1? Would you be happy for an unqualified person to perform a surgical operation on your child? Or for an untrained mechanic to "fix" your car?
Translator is quite wrong. This is not "my opinion" at all. I never claimed that it was my opinion. I found these comments about Choueifat schools on another website and I thought that they might perhaps be of interest to some parents.
I have never taught at a Choueifat school. However, those teachers I have met who have taught at one of these insititutions had nothing but criticisms and complaints about the "SABIS system". They also told me that many Choueifat "teachers" have no teaching qualifications and even no degrees. Perhaps that is why the Choueifat schools usually try to prevent the parents from meeting the so-called "teachers".
I agree with the latter parents, that is why I opted for the Lycee Francais of Qatar (Voltaire) for my 3 year old boy
I agree with you. They are proud of what they are doing! And there are parents who like it. But there are parents who hate it and find it unacceptable.
Although I do not agree with their educational vision, I have to admit that they are clear about it! You cannot feel betrayed...They are proud of what they do and expose it very well to you when you meet with them. From then on, it is your own choice. Some parents like this type of methodologies, others, like me, don't. That doesn't make it a bad school!
Excellent School
My three kids are studying in Chouefat started from KG to Gr8, doing excellent, very confident, excellent research and reading skills and I have NO complains.
Ok, 3 agreed, and I hope this is not a coordinated agreement. I want any of the three of you tell me about the school performance indicators I talked about in my first reply.
that is why i refused to take a job there - agreed
I agree with the hippo. And I know a lot of parents who agree with her as well. And a lot of teachers who refused to work there. I saw their books- disgusting!
Obviously you are venting out at the school. That is your opinion and you are entitled to it.
What count is the end result. What is the average score of SAT? How many are admitted at well known universities? How do their academic performance compares to other schools in the country?
I heard that this year, the majority school of students admitted to Tesas A&M here in Qatar were from the Choueifat School of Qatar. If that is actually true, then your opinion is perhaps a minority.