Parent's Review of Universal American School in Salwa, Kuwait

What is the name of your child's school? (Please report on one school per survey.)

Universal American School

In what town or city is this school located?

Salwa

How would you describe this school? (i.e. American, British, International, Local, etc.)

American, AP

What grade levels are represented at this school?

KG-12

How do most children get to school everyday? (bus, train, walk, etc.)

Some take the bus, a few walk, most have drivers.

How would you describe the facilities at this school? What extra-curricular activities are available?

The middle school is in its own building and very crowded. The elementary and high school is in one building and also very crowded. There is a tiny gym that resembles sardines swimming in sweat. Overall, there is no room in the school for so many students. There is a big office for some guy that does the hiring and he is only at school a little bit every month. Extra-curricular activities? Since 2000 they have been in decline as the school has a high turnover of administrators and teachers and there is too much instability.

What has this school done to help your child transition from the curriculum in your home country into the curriculum in your new country? Are there programs to prepare your child for repatriation?

There is no program to prepare a child for repatriation to Canada, the USA, India, wherever. Who would do it? The counselors are constantly changing. Transition to a new curriculum? The high school has the AP program and they are trying to keep it going. Most students are ESL and not highly motivated, so a student has to make her or his own effort to transition and prepare himself/herselp for college.

How would you describe the social activities available for parents through this school? Are there parent-teacher organizations?

None - parents are not really wanted there as they complain so much. There is no parent-teacher group. The school is run and owned by one person who does what she wants. She employs a Kuwaiti man to do all her hiring and he is a weasal. The only social activities for parents is to chit-chat at 2:30pm as they go to pick up their children.

What advice would you give to someone considering enrolling their child in this school?

If you are desperate and live in the Salwa area, then maybe U.A.S. makes sense. It is a school in steady decline and mainly Kuwaiti and mainly boys. There is a lot of fighting between the teachers and admin and the Americans think they are superior to Canadians. The Americans want to control everything. All the money of the school goes to the owner - it is all a business.

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