Education in Dubai

I have read it months before and now I am getting another version of it from this week's issue of the Economist. In "Laggards trying to catch up, Education in the Arab World" I excerpt from it as follows:-

The most rigorous comparative study of education systems, a survey called Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) that comes out every four years, revealed in its latest report, in 2007, that out of 48 countries tested, all 12 participating Arab countries fell below the average. More disturbingly, less than 1% of students aged 12-13 in ten Arab countries reached an advanced benchmark in science, compared with 32% in Singapore and 10% in the United States. Only one Arab country, Jordan, scored above the international average, with 5% of its 13-year-olds reaching the advanced category.

Quite a few of my girls' teachers at the international school were quite good. Their classmates were mostly very kind, friendly and helpful but they are just not interested in working. They have the potential but not the values or motivation to achieve them my older daughter often chimed.