Sharjah's Private Schools Mark Notable Improvement In Itqan Programme Outcomes

The Sharjah Private Education Authority (SPEA) has revealed the outcomes of the second edition of the "Itqan" programme for the 2023-2024 academic year. This initiative aims to enhance education quality in private schools across Sharjah, aligning with the authority’s vision. The evaluation covered 63 private schools, representing nine different curricula, out of a total of 129 schools in the Emirate, encompassing 78,638 students.

Comparing current results with evaluations from 2018 and 2019 shows notable progress. All private schools now offer at least "acceptable" education, with those providing "good" or better education increasing from eight to 79 schools. Consequently, students receiving "good" or better education rose from 25,351 to 145,042, while those receiving "acceptable" or less decreased from 146,539 to 44,550.

The programme's results demonstrated that approximately 145,042 students out of 189,592—equivalent to 76%—receive a "good" or better education. Moreover, all students in the evaluated schools receive an "acceptable" or better education. This reflects significant efforts by SPEA and Sharjah Education Academy teams.

The final results showed one school achieving an "outstanding" rating, nine schools receiving a "very good" rating, 69 schools attaining a "good" rating, and 38 schools earning an "acceptable" rating. Notably, no school received a "weak" or "very weak" rating. This indicates high educational standards in most private schools within the Emirate.

This edition focused on previously unreviewed schools and those rated "acceptable" or below in the first edition of the "Itqan" programme for 2023. The aim was to elevate school quality standards and promote distinguished educational practices as part of SPEA’s vision for achieving "distinguished education" by 2025.

Leadership and Strategic Vision

Dr. Muhadditha Al Hashimi, Chairperson of SPEA, expressed pride in the programme's results and ongoing development in Sharjah's private schools. She credited His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammed Al Qasimi’s support and directives as key drivers behind these successes.

Dr. Al Hashimi highlighted that achieving excellence requires collaborative efforts from all stakeholders including SPEA teams, school administrations, and parents. She extended gratitude to everyone contributing to this success and noted the noticeable improvement compared to previous evaluations.

Continuous Development Efforts

Dr. Al Hashimi also emphasized SPEA’s commitment to bolstering development efforts and providing comprehensive support to the educational sector. She praised the fruitful cooperation between schools and evaluation teams aimed at enhancing performance across various standards.

The announcement followed a thorough review conducted between January and March of this year. It covered performance quality in selected private schools within Sharjah as part of ongoing efforts to achieve more accomplishments in education.

The results from both editions (2022-2023 and 2023-2024) indicate an up to 80% improvement compared to evaluations from previous years (2018-2019). They confirm that all private schools now offer at least "acceptable" education while highlighting substantial progress towards higher educational standards within Sharjah’s private sector.

With inputs from WAM