Old board back at Pakistani school

After almost five years of controversy over its ownership, one of the oldest schools in Dubai — Pakistan Education Academy — has again come under the control of its original board. "We are glad to announce that the Pakistan Educational and Cultural Board (PECB) which established the school in 1968, has regained control of the school after five years of controversy," said Musarrat Hussain, Founding Chairman of the PECB. He said the school is a not-for-profit institution founded by the Board with the generous support of Dubai's leadership to serve the Pakistani community. "It is the third oldest expatriate school in Dubai and the oldest Pakistani school in the UAE," he said. The school was once the most prestigious Pakistani school as it always stood out with the results of its students in examinations. But standards have gone down in the past few years. Located on Oud Metha Road, the school has both male and female students from KG1 to Grade 12 offering the Pakistan Federal Board curriculum. Article continues below Hussain said the board lost control of the school in 2006 after its Chairman Haji Mohammad Ashraf passed away. "Since then the school standards have gone down and it lost its true spirit of community service," Hussain said. However, with the intervention of the higher local authorities, the ownership of the school was given back to the PECB on April 18 this year, he added. Late Shaikh Maktoum Bin Rashid Al Maktoum had inaugurated the school when it was founded as Pakistan Islamia Secondary School, Dubai in 1968. The school was rebuilt after 20 years and was renamed Pakistan Education Academy. It was then inaugurated again by the late Pakistani President General Ziaul Haq on March 9, 1988. "The Academy was founded with a resolution to set certain norms for education — to strike a balance between the Islamic values and modern scientific learning," noted Mohammad Rashid Ashraf, Secretary general of PECB and Manager of the school. He said the school was established when there were hardly any education facilities, especially for the Pakistani community. "It is a not-for-profit institution where large number of students who cannot afford to pay are given scholarships and free education. All income is spent on the school and no board member gets any salary or income share," he said. The PECB has also tied up with Pakistan Professional Wing of the Pakistan Association in Dubai to improve the school's standards and regain its lost glory.