Schools to Send SMS to Parents if Children Bunk Classes

Schools to Send SMS to Parents
if Children Bunk Classes
Ahmed Abdul Aziz KHALEEJ TIMES 17 October 2008

ABU DHABI — Truant students will not be able to get away with bunking classes anymore. For, their parents will receive SMSes on their mobile phones from the school asking, “Where is your child today?”

The SMS information project to cover all public and private schools is part of a plan to set up a call centre being studied by the Ministry of Education (MoE).

According to the plan, the SMS service will be used by the schools to inform parents about all details about their children’s schooling, including exam results, attendance, bus delays, detailed evaluation reports, due dates for fees, holidays and anniversary celebrations as well as events such as sports and cultural competitions.

Rashid Al Nuaimi, General Manager of the MoE, had earlier said the ministry’s officials were studying a project to set up a call centre that would facilitate communication among the ministry, schools and parents.

K. Rajiv, general manager of Sharjah-based Good Luck Systems Co., which has developed the project, said the new system would monitor the students and update the parents with the news, whether good or bad.

“We offer a new software featured with facilities for back-to-back communication between a parent and school to ensure that every child is disciplined,” Rajiv said.

The company will provide the system for free to the ministry. After the ministry endorses it, the schools can register with the new service. “We will provide training to teachers and administrative staff of schools without charging any fees,” Rajiv said.

The parents will have to pay Dh10 for 10 SMSes and Dh100 for a one-year membership.