DUBAI: The Dubai police is investigating a male adult education center after an Arabic tabloid published a report claiming that students at the center smoke hashish during breaks and distribute pornography in classes.
The report — published on the front page of Sunday’s Emarat Al-Youm — stated that pornographic materials are exchanged in classes where students as young as nine study with men aged over 40. Some of the younger students complained to the paper that older students use foul language in front of them and behave in a lewd manner. The newspaper also interviewed students who said that some students smoked hashish in the school’s premises with the administration’s knowledge.
In a radio interview, Abdullah Junaid, the school’s principal, denied the report, adding there has been only one case of drugs at the center. “That was an isolated case last year when we suspected a student of taking hallucinogenic pills. We called the police who tested the student and found that he had been taking drugs. That student was suspended,” said Junaid. Junaid also complained that the center was overcrowded, something that led to youngsters being taught with men in the same classrooms. He also alleged that teachers at the school were paid very little, something that forced many to leave the school. The Dubai Education Zone (DEZ) also released a statement denying the allegations. Mona Al-Marri, an official at the zone, said the DEZ is currently carrying out a study to improve such centers. She added that there are 13 such centers in Dubai with 3,087 students on their rolls. The centers face many challenges including the issue of youngsters being taught with older students and a lack of finances.
Adult education centers, known as Masai (evening) schools because classes are held in the evenings, are run by the Ministry of Education. Most of them do not have their own premises and use the buildings of other schools. The centers were launched in the 1970s to fight illiteracy in the UAE.
