The Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (Adek) has launched a review to address grade inflation and discrepancies in academic records at private schools across the emirate.
As part of the first phase, 12 schools have been temporarily barred from admitting new students into Grades 11 and 12 until they resolve compliance issues and implement corrective actions.
Adek has directed these schools to submit Grade 12 academic records for evaluation. The required documents include student transcripts, assessment policies, grading systems, graduation criteria, marked assessment samples and a complete record of student evaluations.
The move aims to ensure that students earn their academic credentials based on merit and to eliminate practices that could result in unfair rankings or unreliable outcomes.
“Grade inflation not only misrepresents student learning, undermines trust in the education system and limits fair academic competition,” Adek said in a statement.
The authority stated that the review will help identify patterns of inflated grading, errors in awarding credits and gaps between internal marks and actual performance.
The next phases of the initiative will expand to include students in Grades 9 to 11. It will compare school-assigned grades with results from external exams.
Schools that fail to meet the required standards may face administrative measures or be forced to apply mandatory corrective actions.
Adek said the review will help restore parents’ confidence in the quality of education provided at private schools.