Following Abu Dhabi’s new education policy mandating inclusivity, some parents of children with special learning needs spoke of the rejections they faced from multiple schools in the country.
Mothers shared their struggles, including one whose son was turned away by more than 10 institutions and remains unenrolled in KG1 or grade 1. The reason is his attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); despite showing “exceptional linguistic abilities and problem-solving skills”, he remains without a school placement, said his mother.
“We have been trying to get admission since last year, and until now, my son, who is amazing, and gifted in linguistics, has not been accepted. Because of his impulsive nature due to ADHD, schools simply do not accept him,” she said.
She explained that many American and British curriculum schools require parents to pay for a shadow teacher, making enrolment financially burdensome.
“The fee for these schools is very high, and arranging a shadow teacher for Grade 1 adds even more cost. We tried to enrol him in a British school, but they expelled him because we had not informed them about his ADHD in advance, even though we told them we could arrange a shadow teacher.”
The struggle did not end there; another private school principal asked for a report diagnosing his ADHD. “We spent more than Dh5,000 on his diagnosis, and when the report came, the inclusion head simply told us that their school could not support him, despite us agreeing to arrange a shadow teacher.”
After trying more than 10 schools, her son is still at home, missing out on vital early education. “He has now missed KG2 and Year 1. No seat is available for a child who needs a shadow teacher,” she said, adding that some schools did not even put him on a waiting list.
“His hyperactivity is causing the rejections. No one can understand the pain of mothers of children with ADHD. We really need to address this issue,” she added.
“There is a massive financial burden on parents, who have to pay school fees as well as the cost of a shadow teacher. Why?,” the parent stressed.
She called on the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) to intervene. “ADEK has to increase the capacity for the number of students of determination in each grade or section. Schools should not be able to simply reject a child who needs additional support.”
ADEK introduced a new inclusion policy last September, ensuring that students of determination cannot just be rejected by schools because they cannot accommodate their needs.
If a school genuinely believes it cannot accommodate a student, it is required to notify ADEK of the rejection with evidence of why it cannot accept a student.
The department will then assess if the school’s decision should be upheld or revoked, mandating it to accept the student. The policy will be mandatory for all private schools and ADEK’s charter schools by September 2026. Under the new inclusion policy, shadow teachers are referred to as individual assistants.
Dana Arab, 45, mother of three, said her middle and youngest sons, Muhannad and Bassem, faced multiple rejections when she tried to enrol them in KG1 in Abu Dhabi. “The first time we applied at a school in 2018, the special needs teacher rejected the application and suggested we enrol him in a special needs centre instead, even though his autism case is mild,” said the Jordanian expat. “As a temporary solution, we kept him in nursery for another year.”
After a year, the school hired a new special needs teacher, who after reviewing his diagnoses and therapy assessment reports, accepted him with a shadow teacher. “He was four when we first applied for KG1. He was admitted a year later.”
Meanwhile, her younger son Bassem, who did not suffer from any special need apart from delayed speech, was rejected three times. When he turned four in 2023, she applied to a school and mentioned in the application that he had some speech delays when he was younger but was “okay now”.
“He passed the first KG1 interview, but because of my statement, they requested a second interview with their special needs teacher,” she recalled. “The interview was one-on-one, and the interviewer was not very child friendly. He got confused and stressed and refused to answer her questions.”
As a result, he was rejected and the school recommended admitting him as a special needs student with a shadow teacher; “however, they didn’t have spots for special needs. And I did not like the idea of enrolling him as special needs, because he is perfectly normal.”
At the second school she applied to, “he showed hyperactive behaviour and was distracted, and didn’t answer or speak clearly during the interview. So again, they rejected him and recommended a shadow teacher.” She faced a similar scenario at a third school she applied to.
As a last resort, she applied to the same school where her older sons were enrolled, and they accepted him, taking into consideration that the older siblings were already enrolled there.
“The KG1 teacher who interviewed him was very cooperative and understanding,” she said. At first, he had some difficulties with speech and needed help from the class assistant with his classwork, driving the school to also recommend a shadow teacher, however, he managed to catch up without one. “He is now in KG2, progressing well, and we no longer receive complaints about his performance in class.”
While her youngest son’s case was not officially categorised as a special needs case, she believed the rejection he faced was even more frustrating. “The schools couldn’t decide whether to identify him as a ‘normal’ student, so they simply rejected him. Similarly, for children with special needs, schools act unfairly and offer very limited seats for those who require support.”
Another parent, Palani, who preferred not to give her first name, also faced difficulties enrolling her son in a Dubai school due to his speech delay. While he currently attends nursery and can express his basic needs, speaking more than 100 words, she was taken aback when he was rejected following an Foundation Stage 2 (FS2) interview.
“We received an email stating that he was not selected, but no detailed explanation was provided,” she said. “When we visited the school admissions office to understand the reason, we were told it was because of his speech delay and learning difficulties.”
Seeking further clarification, she was advised to submit a report so that the school’s inclusion department could review his case.
“As parents, we feel that placing so much pressure on a three and a half-year-old is unnecessary. Every child is different, and they should be allowed to learn at their own pace,” she argued. “School is a place to learn and socialise but is such an interview rejection at this young age really necessary?”
Palani also questioned why schools focus so much on speech or developmental delays in early education. “Back in our country (India), there is no concept of school interviews, especially at this age.”
Following a rejection which occurred when she applied for the next academic year starting in September, she and her husband are now undecided on whether to apply to other schools or wait until their son’s speech improves.
“It’s all really confusing. Even if we forcefully enrol him in a school, they might come back in a few weeks or months with demands for a support teacher or other conditions.”
Palani said she is prepared to escalate the matter to the concerned authority if she faces further rejections. “I will raise my voice to the concerned authorities if this continues.”
© Khaleej Times
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