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EDUGATES® Success Stories

Case Synopsis I - A Crisis Management Situation

Case Background: ‘Group A’ ( ) co-owned two K-12 schools, and totally owned one vocational school.  Their partners were starting up a competitor K-12 school that we shall refer to as ‘School B’, close to the major ‘School A’ of Group A, and were attracting the top staff of ‘School A’ into ‘School B’, and persuading families to move their children into the new school.

When the Chairman of the ‘Group A’, approached us in 2004, they were in the process of dissolving the joint venture with their partners, and ‘School A’ was already threatened.  ‘School A’, which targeted middle class families living in its catchments area, had been losing students over the previous years, but now it was also losing to the new competition one of its two directors, its registrar, its two main school principals, a number of its best teachers, and a substantial percentage of its student body.

The board of ‘School A’ realized that the school needed to enhance its standards and reputation and they counted on the excellent performance and reputation that EDUGATES® had achieved to create an immediate positive impact on the community.

The Assigned Task:  The board of ‘School A’ signed a management contract with EDUGATES® in June 2004, assigning to us the task of designing and implementing a comprehensive improvement plan in order to salvage the school, enhance its performance and image, and guarantee its growth.  We were expected to tackle all areas including school corporate image, school accounts, school leadership, administrative policies and procedures, rules and regulations, curricula and syllabi, curriculum delivery, student standards, staff development, facilities and resources, and logistics.

The Strategy We Adopted: We had a couple of months before the school year was to start and hence we needed to follow a ‘fast track’ approach if we were to rescue the 2004-2005 academic year.  Being accountable for the success of a vast task in a short period meant that we had to decide on priorities.  We could not afford to make mistakes or waste time so it was wise to start by studying ‘School A’s community-culture and its environment, and the competition schools’ strengths and weaknesses.  We were highly selective when we chose our sources and we made sure to take in consideration the position and the stake of every source.  We made sure to remove all doubtful information as we collected the data.  We assigned a dedicated team of experienced professionals to the job: a project manager, two educators, and a school business manager.

Groundwork and Research: We signed the contract with the Board of ‘School A’ only a couple of weeks before the school broke up for its summer holidays, and we immediately started working on a thorough school assessment study.  We met the school board members and the president of the Parents’ Council, and we surveyed the opinions of key staff and teachers, those who had signed up with the competitors and hence were leaving the following year, and those who were staying on.  We also spoke to a number of students.  We inspected all the school facilities, resources and studied the school files.  Thus, we had at our hands all the data that was necessary for decision-making.  From the meetings with the staff we formed a very clear picture of the school social map, the general morale, the prevailing perceptions about the fractured school and its internal cultures.  We learnt about the strengths and weaknesses of the previous managerial team, and the expectations and the grievances of all.  We also did a brief study of the neighbouring schools that targeted the same market sector.

Findings: We found out that there were two main reasons for the fracture of ‘School A’: the board and the management had conflicting views, and there was a damaging power struggle between the managers themselves.  There was a lot of mistrust, tension and internal politics and staff were divided into cliques.
The school had a thirty-bus strong transport fleet that was separately managed, and the management of this transport division did not coordinate with the school managers; this created further disagreements among the leading team and hence the quality of the transport service was unsatisfactory.  Many of the buses systematically arrived late to school, and there were no lists of the students who were registered for the bus service.
The cafeteria was not being inspected by the management and was being run independently; the standard of the cafeteria service was also not satisfactory.
Visitor and parents’ cars were allowed to enter the campus during the morning drop off time and during the afternoon collection time, which created serious hazards for children.
Staff recruitment was not systematic; staff received little guidance and barely any training.  The accounts department was significantly overstaffed with five employees and formed a negative ‘social gathering’ during work hours.  Fees were not being collected properly and there were substantial amounts of money that were a few years overdue.
Students were not doing well in official exams.  Student numbers were dwindling, parents were not satisfied, and many of them held the members of the team that were staying with ‘School A’ responsible for the school shortcomings.  So many families had already registered their children in the new competitor school.

Our Interventions: The foremost task was to win back as many as possible of the families and the employees in whom we saw good potential.  In order to do that we created an image of a new ‘School A’; a school that had well organized departments, clear lines of reporting, and which adopted a promising structured educational system; a school that had a supportive ambience and that had high aims.  We won over most of the members of staff who were known for their diligence and earnestness.  However, the director who had planned to stay did not choose to adopt the new structured approach and the new system, and he quickly resigned.  With his departure, most of the previous managerial team had left and this created room for the promotion of qualified staff and a full social restructuring of the school, this time centred on an educational system rather than power bases or cliques.
With the cooperation of the staff who opted to adopt the new approach, we restructured the school and developed clear consistent policies and procedures.  We did intensive training for the staff, recruited the necessary staff to fill vacancies, and appointed a new director.  The transport division and the cafeteria manager, like all other school departments now reported to the director along clear lines.  Safety and security were enhanced through the new policies and continuous supervision, and the academic departments did a complete revision of the curriculum and developed plans for its effective delivery.  We created remedial classes for the students who needed it.  We adopted a policy of accountability and introduced IT into administration.  

The Ensuing Developments: The school year started with an effective, well-organized, motivated team which now enjoyed good communication and professional relations.  There was no loss in student numbers.  By the end of the 2004-2005 academic year, the students enjoyed brilliant success rates in the official examinations and in college acceptance.  During the years that followed, parents’ confidence and satisfaction grew with the reputation of the school and so did student numbers.  The school developed a competitive advantage and increased its market share.  Most of the backlog of overdue fees was collected and fee collection became 100% efficient.  Students enjoyed organized activities many of which were of great cultural value; ‘School A’ students, for example, presented a high standard classical music performance in the Goethe Institute and some of them achieved scholarships abroad.

The work required by the board was completely accomplished by the end of the second year and we managed the school for a further year before we handed it back to the owners.


Case Synopsis II
School set up under challenging time constraints
The start-up of high-end school in Muscat, Oman

Case Background:  A group of business people who were interested in starting up a new school in Muscat approached us in April 2008.  The group included businesspersons who had diversified business backgrounds including real estate, construction, a group-travel organization and other business interests in Oman and the UAE.  The group wanted to recruit a company that would be capable to complete the challenging task of successfully setting up a new school, starting from scratch, within the very short time interval of a few months.  The group wished to exploit the upcoming academic year season that was due to start in September 2008, only a few months after their first contact with us.
After two meetings, the first of which was held in April in the UAE, and a second which was held in May 2008 in Muscat, we reached an agreement and signed a start-up and management contract.

The Assigned Task: The task was to establish by September the K-9 classes of an international college preparatory K-12 school that targets the more affluent sector of the Muscat community.  In May 2008, we visited the proposed temporary premises in order to study its suitability and prepare the plans to prepare it for September.  The premises, which had been used before as a girls’ college, needed a lot of refurbishment and some redesign in order for it to become suitable for a top-class upscale school.  We needed also to develop the board structure and its bylaws, furnish and equip the school, recruit the necessary staff, and extract licenses by September; a most ambitious task.

Strengths and Strategy: We decided to work on a very tight schedule as we barely had a few months between the contract signing and the start of the academic year.  However, we had the advantages of successful experience in quick new school start-up, a wealth of highly qualified human resources, reliable proprietary school software, and effective proprietary administrative and educational resources.  The group we that partnered with had the required financial funds and enjoyed an excellent reputation in Oman which facilitated approaching all relevant authorities.  Our partners had already done a good SWOT analysis of the competition and a proper market study.  We had a number pf challenging competitor schools that had been operating in Muscat for years. Among those are The Sultan School and The International School of Choueifat.  We had to set the fees at the same level and attract enough students to support the viability of the project as quickly as possible.

Successful Target Achievement:  First we agreed with our partners on the Governing Board structure and its bylaws, allocating financial decisions to the investors, and strategic educational decisions to the EDUGATES® representative on the board.  Next we appointed an experienced educator and successful school manager as school director and he in turn employed a school secretary/registrar who had experience in Muscat as a school administrator.  We worked from two different offices, the first was in Muscat, where we deployed a team lead by the director to supervise the site preparations, follow up the government legal formalities and arrange for the staff accommodation.  The second hub was in Al Ain where a second team lead by the EDUGATES® school development director, produced the school curriculum and all other necessary educational material, did the recruitment campaign, placed orders for textbooks, uniform, furniture and equipment and followed up those orders.  The two teams coordinated very closely.

Delicate architectural planning that determined landscaping, school access locations, play areas, classroom and office allocation, etc, preceded the site refurbishment, taking in consideration functionality, safety, security and comfort factors.

EDUGATES® deployed other teams at different stages that helped with the marketing and advertisement campaigns, the IT infrastructure preparations and the preliminary teacher orientation and training programs.

We also supplied the new school with all policy, school rules and regulations, procedures and job descriptions.  With the school board, we decided on the school corporate image, including its logo, mission and vision.

We installed the AEMS EDUGATES® proprietary school software and the school board opened the necessary bank accounts and deposited the capital and the needed funding for year one.

We started the school year on time and legally licensed.  The building was ready with all the necessary room and infrastructure that a decent high-end school needs.  This included a proper fence and gate, parking areas, playgrounds and shaded areas, landscaped areas, signposts and flagpoles, utility rooms, offices, classrooms, a computer lab, a music room, an art room, a science room, a cafeteria, and special purpose halls including a sports room.  We also managed to get all the necessary fixtures, furniture and music, sports, arts, stationery, and IT equipment for all those areas on time.  The school started with a functioning computer local area network, and some interactive white boards.  It also already had its transport fleet ready.

All the administrative, teaching, technical and blue collar staff that the school needed were hired on time, including, an examination officer, KG helpers, a security guard, a computer network administrator, an accountant, two receptionists and a school nurse, and some general workers.  The staff enjoyed a generously furnished accommodation that was fit for the use of educators.

The school year started with 105 students, the following year numbers grew to 325 students and now in its third year the International School of Oman has a roll of 440 students.

Case Synopsis III
XXXX School
French Section
School Evaluation Summary

Introduction
The discerning approach and the refined strategy that the Board of Trustees adopted and the co-operation and open-minded attitude of the Director were the main reasons behind the success of this study.  Our job was facilitated tremendously as the Director gave clear instructions to the staff and as they obliged willingly.

The atmosphere that prevails in the school is very pleasant, and together with the school administration and staff we managed to maintain that good ambience.  Staff and students who we interviewed were always cooperative, polite, frank and friendly.  Our job, hence, progressed very smoothly

Objective
The primary objective of our research was to study the feasibility of starting an English section for the school.  We needed to learn about the current school structure, policies and procedures in order to determine the best strategy regarding the starting of an English Section.  However, we felt that it is also our duty to advise the school regarding some points that we came across during our study.  We believe that some adjustments would have major positive impact on the current school.

Successful institutions need to develop their systems, policies and curricula continuously, replacing the obsolete by the more effective.  Change, however, should never be just for the sake of looking modern or for pleasing students or parents.  Inappropriate change is harmful to the institution and to its students.  On the other hand, accepting change is not easy either; there is always the feeling that there is a risk factor that accompanies change, for it may endanger the interest of some of those involved.  Change is also resisted because it is demanding and it requires increased efforts.

The Methodology and Strategy of the Study: A Brief Remark.
We obtained accurate information in a subtle manner, making sure that we did not create apprehension or unease among the staff.  We were also able to avoid interruption of the school’s daily routines.  All vital information obtained was carefully verified and double-checked.  We focused on facts that are relevant to our study and we avoided all time waste.  Visits, meetings, interviews and observation were all done with the Director’s permission, and we tried to clarify as much as possible to the people involved the aim of our investigation.  We reviewed documents with the Director and got all the clarification we needed.

The Administrative Structure of the School
The current structure was explained to us and we found out that every employee seems to know where they stand and what is required of them.  No interpersonal problems exist.  The current structure and the employees have been around long enough for the interpersonal differences to be ironed out in a manner that eases communication.  With such cooperation among the team, adding clear structuring will definitely create a more efficient system.

The more efficient and more modern trend in management is to rely on very well defined specialised departments lead by a smaller number of administrators who have direct access to the Director but who are qualified to take the full responsibility for their department.  We discussed the current structure with the Director especially regarding the relatively large number of employees reporting directly to him.  We reached with him a mutual agreement that by restructuring, we can save some of his valuable time, so that he may use this time to scrutinise student and staff performance, and to follow up the implementation of the school’s policies and procedures.  We also agreed together that restructuring should permit the creation of posts that are essential for the effectiveness of the school.  Restructuring would also provide a clearer and more efficient job distribution

The suggested structure allows for three very important offices to be created.  The Personnel office and the Public Relations office are currently missing in spite of the fact that they are an essential part of every administration of a medium to large sized firm.  Also currently missing is the major post of Dean of Students or the equivalent.  The recommended structure does not require a larger number of administrative employees than the current structure.

In an attached document we have drawn the current organisational chart and our recommended chart.

EDUGATES® suggests to the Board of Trustees to restructure the administration along the lines described and that a very clear description of the lines of reporting is written.  We are ready to assist the current management through the transition phase and ensure the proper and efficient implementation of the new structure.

Procedures and Job Descriptions
The Memorandum of Internal Organisation for the school describes the school’s philosophy and policy and states the general guidelines that the Board of Trustees requires.  Relying on the Memorandum, there should be detailed job descriptions and written procedures that are to be implemented in the different offices or departments.  All such job descriptions and procedures should be consistent with the school’s philosophy.

Item 16 D, for example, requires that the supervisor follows up student attendance and receives absence notes and excuses.  The item does not give detailed instructions to the supervisor whether this absence has to be checked in the morning, for example, or at the end of the day.  Some supervisors currently take note of the absence on the next day of its occurrence.  Such practice allows for the potential serious problem that some parents may be under the impression that their child is at school when he or she is in fact in a place that may not be safe.  Immediate attention to student absence is a must.  Hence details explaining the procedure for absence checking are extremely important.

Another example is item 11 B of the Memorandum, which states that the Head of Section must supervise the educational work in their section.  Such a general statement is bound to allow different section heads to follow different practices when it comes to the details.

EDUGATES® discussed this issue with the Director, and again we have reached an agreement that it needs attention along the lines we described above.  EDUGATES® is ready to draw out detailed clear job descriptions for the different posts and to write down detailed procedures and to organise long-term training for all administrators in order to qualify them to succeed in their new roles.

Student Affairs
Currently there is no student affairs office.  The suggested Dean of Students would be in charge of student affairs.  With the help of assistants, he or she would create a Student Government whose major aim will be to reverse negative peer pressure and organise the enormous and powerful reservoir of manpower of the student body, thus allowing for the creation of a huge constructive momentum.  The Student Government would not resemble student councils in other schools.  Student councils tend to be structured along totally different lines and they, in general, cause more damage than good.

Under the Dean we suggest that the current post of supervisor (as policeman) be cancelled and replaced by the more pedagogical role and title of Assistant Dean.  The role of discipline officer would change to become that of a firm but fair leader.  The Assistant Dean would also have the duty of helping the Dean to organise the Student Government and help the students to plan for useful academic and non-academic activities.

The guidelines for constructing a healthy and successful Student Government, and the training of the people who will form it and eventually lead it, will be a task that EDUGATES® will be ready to provide.  This issue was also discussed with the Director and we got his support.  The length of the break at the moment does not allow for any student activities during the day.

Information Technology
A few years ago the school purchased a sophisticated computer system.  Unfortunately, most of the programmes of that system are not being used.  The school’s accounts, for example, are not done in the accountant’s office using the computer software.  Most administrators have computers in their offices, but they do not know how to use them properly and some of them seem to know very little about Information Technology.

Proper implementation of modern Information Technology techniques enhances the school’s efficiency, facilitates administrative routines and serves the students interest.

The following tasks are necessary:
Checking the current computer software system of the school and studying its capabilities.

Deciding which of the available programmes should be used and making sure that they are used properly.

Training employees to use the computers that are already in their offices and the software that is available to them.

Following up of employees and making sure that they are using the software properly, until they develop the attitude that using Information Technology is their normal style of work.

Developing new Software: writing new programmes that add to the efficiency of the learning process like ones that can be used for student academic follow up (The Student Individualised Follow Up Programme for example).

EDUGATES® is ready to perform all the above tasks.  Again our suggestion got the Director’s support.

The Academic Curriculum
Current scientific research supports the point of view that youngsters should be subjected to mental challenge and abstraction as early as possible.  There is scientific evidence that some parts of the mammal’s brain would not grow except if challenged (or excited), and that these parts would only grow if this challenge were done at an early age.  There is a danger hence of not giving infants and other school children the chance for optimum brain growth unless we adopt demanding curricula.

We at EDUGATES® adopt the philosophy that all students, including those of the Petit Jardin class, should be subjected to demanding curricula.  We have not experienced difficulty in the past due to our policy, and there were no symptoms of unhappiness either.  Children find learning a lot of fun, if the overall school atmosphere is conducive to learning and if teaching is done properly.

The Head of the Transition Section, for example, remarked that one of the children in her section could not talk. When asked why she admitted that child into school she said that it is that child’s first year with her; but that child was promoted from Grand Jardin into her section.  In general, children who currently join the Transition Section from the school’s Grand Jardin know very little.  We suggest that we adopt a more demanding curriculum in the two classes of the Jardin department and that a very clear list is created to describe what every class should learn every week.

The above improvement of the curriculum of the Jardin will allow raising the standard of the programmes of the higher-level classes.  There is also a lot of repetition in teaching.  The same concepts are taught and re-taught year in year out, at the different levels.  We can afford to reduce this repetition, which wastes student time, to the absolute necessary minimum, and thus create time to teach the students at all levels, a lot more.

EDUGATES® suggests a full reconsideration of the current curriculum and the length of the school day and offers constructing a more demanding well-defined detailed programme at all levels.

Student and Staff Assessment
The correct way to assess a certain employee is to make an objective measurement of his work.  In education this good procedure is only done when students take official examinations that the teachers do not write, see beforehand or mark.  Unfortunately, schools attended to this policy by employing excellent teachers for the “certificate” classes like the Brevet and the Baccalaureate classes and relatively ignoring the rest of the classes.  When teachers write their own examinations they are assessing their own performance themselves, it becomes impossible, for example, for the management to find out if a teacher has skipped teaching a certain skill or not.

EDUGATES® adopts the policy that teachers become as accountable as employees in the business sector and in industry are, and that productivity is measured scientifically and objectively all the time.  Hence teachers should not take part at all in setting their own examinations.  At no extra cost, the school can adopt a new procedure for setting and marking exams.  This is a factor that would raise the academic standard of the students.
Objective assessment, linked with performance-related increments or bonuses for teachers and all employees, are essential for bringing the school up to world-class standards.

Currently in XXXX, classes below Grade Nine do not sit formal exams as such but they do continuous assessment.  Assessment is mainly done by the class teacher himself/herself and inside the classroom.  Teachers also sometimes use deduction of marks to deter poor behaviour.  Hence the mark does not always reflect how much the child knows.  The mark is currently the result of a combination of the teacher’s impression of the student, the student’s behaviour patterns and the student’s knowledge.

Formal examination should become the pattern so that students, parents and teachers get a realistic mark that reflects the student’s actual academic achievement.

EDUGATES® is ready to prepare complete student examination, staff assessment and record keeping procedures for the school, and to train the employees and to assist the Director to have those procedures completely and properly implemented.

School Rules
Punishment that is related to study is being implemented XXXX.  A student who commits an offence is sometimes being asked to write down a given paragraph number of times or to memorise it.  This is a very harmful practice that makes children psychologically link learning to punishment.  Learning becomes related to something unpleasant and harmful conditioning takes place. This policy may be one of the factors causing the high rate of drop out from the school, a problem that is tackled in a later part of this report.
Other than a teacher’s brief note on the ‘daily sheet’ that a certain student was rude, there is no record keeping for student offences.  Teachers are expected to deal with most problems that arise in their classes and a lot of the teaching time is thus wasted.  Teachers sometimes stop teaching during a lesson in order to control their class.  It is good that no other mass punishment is allowed.  The above two examples explain why programmes in classes are not always finished with the end of the year.  The above examples also support the need for writing very detailed clear school rules and regulations that govern all areas.
It is impossible for different people to use exactly the same measure of punishment, and it is impossible also to remember everything, hence the need for record keeping and restructuring the “discipline” department.  The “discipline” department should be lead by one person.  The current policy of having every “supervisor” report to his head of section creates different standards of disciplinary measures.  In addition to that the school needs to adopt accurate record keeping for student offences so that the disciplinarian or discipline committee may refer to a student’s history when making critical decisions.

EDUGATES® has adopted the policy that the role of a teacher is to teach and not to punish; another department in the school will attend to misbehaving students, inside and out of the classroom, and follow them up.  In this manner students are dealt with in a consistent manner, and teaching will not be suspended due to a misbehaving student.
EDUGATES® offers to re-organise the discipline department, develop a clear set of rules and regulations and train the “supervisors” in order to qualify them to succeed in their more modern “Assistant Dean” roles.


The Psycho-Pedagogical Centre and the Social Work Office
The impression among some of the members of the school’s administration is that the centre mainly deals with cases of children in the Jardin and the Transition sections.  However, the Head of Jardin reported that, this year, she has referred only two cases to the centre.  She mentioned also that it was the effort of her department that corrected the children and not that of the centre.  The Head of the Transition Section said that she refers some children to the centre but parents do not respond positively to that measure.

The main duties of the lady in charge of the social work office seem to be attending to studies related to families who apply for financial aid.  Her other work inside the school is limited.
Both the centre and the social work office are not doing the work that is expected of them.  They also do not have enough to do as per their current duties.  Another look at the role of each of these two offices is desirable so we can study and probably redefine their roles.  The Director is for activating those two offices properly.
EDUGATES® needs to discuss this issue of those two offices further, both with the Board and with the Director, in order to reach a common understanding of what is better for the school.  EDUGATES® would have suggested changing the roles of those offices rather than simply activating them.  We can see them as the nucleus of the suggested Dean of Students Department and we would redirect their work so that it focuses on the Student Government and its role.

The Corporate Image
A doorman, who appears to be a blue-collar worker, mans the main lobby at the entrance of the administration.  Although it is the usual policy in institutions to have a security man at an outside gate, having that person at the reception is not very inviting to visitors and does not display a refined image of the school.  The entrance area is the first a visitor will see; and the first impression visitors get remains with them for a long time and influences their overall assessment of the school.  This area should look very hospitable, and people manning it should be as qualified as five star hotel reception employees.  They should know how to welcome visitors and should be very neatly dressed.  They should be able to behave and talk in a very refined manner.
The rest of the administration and the school need many more bulletin boards that should have student work displayed on them.  Once a 'Student Government' is built, decorating such boards becomes possible.
The School’s Logo has a major element missing.  Adding to the logo the year of establishment of the school, 1835 would have a great effect on the school’s image.  The school has a long history that it can boast of.  School documents and papers should all carry the school’s logo.  Business cards of high-ranking employees should also have the logo.  The font which is used to write the school’s name, wherever it may appear, should be unified and the colours of the school should be well defined and should become apparent on all school publications, products, vehicles and uniform.

Every day people of the city and the villages are reminded of the school when they see its buses, hence the importance of having a very tidy fleet that carries the school’s name (written in the proper font), its logo and its colours with pride.  The buses should look well kept and should be driven in a manner that also reflects the image of a grand educational institution.

Musical shows and other student functions and open days are also rare or even missing.  Smoking seems to be allowed on campus and the supervisor of the secondary school is frequently seen smoking inside the main corridor of the Secondary School.  And there is no active Alumni Association.
The school’s corporate image reflects on the whole atmosphere of a school.  A state of the art corporate look for the school has great influence on its employees, parents, visitors and students and on the overall school atmosphere and standards.  EDUGATES® offers to develop and implement a state of the art corporate image for the school.

Methods of Teaching
From the classes we attended and the meetings and interviews we conducted, we concluded that classes are in general being taught using inefficient ineffective methods.  One teacher, for example, managed the lesson by sending students to the board to tackle problems while the others copied what those students wrote on the board.
What the Coordinator of Mathematics described as group work in the class, meant that he has the same common misunderstanding that many teachers have about how to teach using groups.  The main aim of using groups is to make sure that the slower students benefit without wasting their classmates’ time.  The Coordinator of French asked about how she could avoid the problem of the slower student.  There is a special way in which group work is used that is not understood.
Students who we interviewed mentioned that time is being wasted in many classes due to poor classroom management routines that many teachers use.
Educators are continuously being subjected to an accretion of “educational” theories and teaching methods that are not properly researched.  Administrators and teachers need to be made aware of the harm they cause by adopting or accepting the “wrong” theory.
Through continuous Staff Development Programmes, EDUGATES® can introduce the school’s staff to the most reliable and efficient methods of classroom management and of teaching.
Relationships with the university

The school can greatly benefit from good well-defined relations with the successful XXXX University.  There is no written protocol to govern the relation between the two institutions and hence the relationship is currently almost non-existent.
EDUGATES® suggests to organise meetings between the concerned parties and to come up with a suggested protocol that benefits all.  EDUGATES® would also coordinate the relation between the two institutions until it reaches a stable successful standard.

Student Drop Out
Referring to the attached four-year student-number statistics, there is an average annual 6.6% drop out rate from every class starting from the Douzième (New French naming is P.S. 3, English equivalent of KG 2) class onwards.  The school is losing students to other systems.  This explains the fact that the shape of the curve that represents the student population is not yet rectangular.  In well-established old schools, the number of students in every class is almost the same and the number who join the school at the level of KG.  Almost all students, however early they join, would conclude secondary school successfully.  Students leave private schools due to the economic situation, failure or disappointment with the system.
The school is currently losing about 18% of the Brevet students to government schools.  The school relies on part-time government-employed teachers to teach the secondary classes and to coordinate some departments.  It also adopts a curriculum that does not impress parents or students as being dramatically better than what Ministry of Education Schools offer.
EDUGATES® would change the policy of relying on part time teachers.  We would offer them full time posts and ask them to dedicate their time exclusively to the school; otherwise we would replace them by fully dedicated full time teachers.  Adding to that change of policy, the changes that we are suggesting above to the curriculum, the teaching methods, the corporate image etc, should reverse the drop out trend.  The school will then be able to keep its students by offering a competitive and more effective educational system.

The English Section
We believe that it is in the interest of the community that the school served to create an English section.  English has become a very important language in the fields of business and science.  Many of the administration offices can serve the two sections.  Students of the two sections may also share some lessons like PE and Arabic if the need arises without jeopardising the students’ interest.  While doing the study, we came across the different areas for which we suggested the adjustments that we mentioned above.  Those adjustments can be achieved smoothly while the English section is being developed.  We believe that it is in the interest of the school and the community to start the English section as of September 2001 in order to benefit from initiate the process as early as possible.