Page 11 - DGPS - YearBook

MESSAGE FROM THE

MRS SHEELA MISTRY ADMINISTRATION MANAGER

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020 has proved to be quite the milestone year for Dubai Gem Private School. Three years
short of our golden jubilee, this year has seen a sudden paradigm shift from traditional learning
and teaching techniques to a new era of e-education.

Brick and mortar schools as we know it have undergone a massive change – an upgrade, if you may
say. The global pandemic has affected numerous industries across the world and the educational
sector has been completely reimagined with new systems and new protocols in place to adapt to a
new generation of distance learning. A new model of teaching saw the implementation of multiple
collaboration tools including the likes of Zoom, Google Classroom, See Saw, Padlet and more –
which of course implied that the school’s infrastructure needed to be updated and new teaching
techniques introduced. Classroom-based examinations have now been replaced with online
assessments, allowing students to be evaluated remotely.

While this shift has immensely expanded our network and ability to host classes for our students
remotely, it definitely did come with its own set of challenges dependence on availability of
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computers and internet bandwidth came into play and parents needed to be guided and educated
on navigating and understanding the new technology.

Dubai Gem Private School is committed to offering its students a seamless learning experience, and our team of support staff has worked
tirelessly to help parents better understand the new system, ensuring that students are offered the same level of quality education, even while
distance-learning. To further aid families that were financially affected by the current situation, the school has also offered a reduction on the
regular fees, as a relief to parents impacted. Unfortunately, due to low numbers, Dubai Gem Nursery will be closing its doors in June 2020.
However, the school continues to operate as the new normal for all classes from FS2 to Year 13.

While a lot has changed in terms of teacher-student interaction, the internal processes and procedures have also witnessed a transformation. In
addition to the usual DSIB inspection, this year the school had to undergo a DLE (Distance Learning Evaluation) conducted by KHDA. This was
supported with surprise Zoom evaluations, wherein members of the KHDA team joined an online class to observe teaching techniques and
monitor the quality of lessons conducted.

The move from conventional to contemporary certainly had its challenges, but the stellar team at Dubai Gem Private School showed tremendous
support and kept their spirits high throughout the journey for a smooth and easy transition. Teachers went through endless hours of training to
perfect the system, paired with the exemplary support of the Senior Leadership Team and of course, the backbone of the operation, the
indispensable Admin and IT staff. We will continue to ensure that students enjoy an unparalleled learning experience, while abiding by the
instructions received by KHDA.

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