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| Time for a change at AISA? |
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For 15 years the American International School of Abu Dhabi has been the only segregated American-curriculum school within the UAE. The school has tried several times to merge into the co-educational system, and desegregation has been approved by the Ministry of Education. It has yet to happen. Some parents feel that mixing genders goes against cultural beliefs of the society. They also feel that AISA is the only school that efficiently combines the international and local communities, and wish it to remain so. Many students feel the school is attempting to go co-ed to save money. “This is true,” says AISA’s director Gareth Jones, “but not for the reasons the students think”. The main financial implication is that segregation is limiting the possibilities of newer classes in both the High School Program and International Baccalaureate Diploma Program. There has always been a lack of electives such as theatre production, band, media studies, and choir; to introduce such classes, the administration would like to save money on subjects that have very few students by combining them into coeducational classes, thereby using the staff to teach a broader curriculum. Now surveys have been sent to parents to gauge their feelings. “We want what is best for all of our students,” said Jones. “But we have to be realistic in our decision and analyse both the advantages and disadvantages.” Taylor Annese Hathorn
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