Private schools prohibit telephone communication between students’ parents and teachers

Private schools in the northern emirates banned direct communication between students’ families and teachers with the beginning of the current academic year, and offered four electronic alternatives to communicate between them through smart applications and websites to limit the inconvenience to teachers outside school hours, and to limit complaints and observations to supervisors rather than teachers.

School administrations said that since the beginning of the school year, they have provided students’ families with electronic means of communication between them and the teachers in their children’s subjects, including the “Classroom”, “Zoom” and “Teams” websites and the “ClassDojo” application, where communication takes place between the two parties via the instant SMS system.

She explained that electronic alternatives make it easier for teachers to send class schedule, homework, class activities and videos through websites and smart applications, as they are websites and applications specialized in educational matters and a large number of educational materials can be downloaded in an unlimited way , which makes it easier for students to browse them. Print assignments, class schedule and all activities at any time, whether from their mobile phones, laptops or smart devices.

She added that she limited communication via the WhatsApp application between departmental guidance counselors and students’ families regarding administrative matters, to facilitate students’ families’ access to decisions made by school administrations during the school year, and to provide feedback directly to guidance counselors to seek and respond to them .

School administrations stated that direct communication via telephones between teachers and students confuses teachers during and after school hours, as some call teachers at late hours and on weekends to ask about technical matters, which disturbs teachers and puts them under constant pressure, so schools have taken All observations received from teachers and students’ families during the last years to find solutions to them, and therefore limited communication between them through educational smart applications, leading to the organization of the communication process and solving any observations or complaints students’ families stand only towards through specialists, and the teachers’ role is limited to educational matters.

She added that she has developed a plan that will be implemented in the middle of each semester based on holding meetings and interviews between students’ families and classroom teachers to inform them about their children’s performance in assessment tests, their behavior and educational level , and to listen to the observations and suggestions of the students’ families, noting that the purpose of this meeting is to introduce the students’ families to their children’s grades in all academic subjects in order to raise their level and focus on their weaknesses in any educational subjects before the start of final semester exams .

School management:

“Direct communication via telephones between teachers and students’ families confuses teachers during and after work.”