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New Indian Curriculum School to Open Next Year

Singapore-based not-for-profit Global Indian Foundation (GIF) has established a CISCE school in Dubai. The GIF has schools in seven other countries in South East Asia offering different curricula.

The Global Indian International School (GIIS) in Al Mankhool is slated to open in April, in time for the next academic year. Enrolments for up to grade six will begin on December 19.

The school will be co-managed by the foundation and a local for-profit education group — Score Plus Education.

It has been approved by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority but is awaiting an approval for its fee structure. “The KHDA has reviewed the fee structure for this school and it will be announced in due course,” said Mohammed Darwish, chief of regulation and compliance commission.

It will offer Montessori in the lower grades and CISCE with an option of International Baccalaureate in the higher levels. The provider says the school will be an affordable option for parents without a compromise on quality.

“It is positioned as a mid-market school,” Kamal Kalwani, managing director and CEO of Score Plus, said.

“Our aim is to facilitate excellence in education while maintaining consistency in academic standards.”

At present, GEMS is the only education provider in the emirate that offers the CISCE curriculum at its Dubai Modern High School (DMHS).

An increase in the fee structure of the school by 90 per cent, announced in January, owing to a shift to new premises with bigger facilities, caused discontent among a large number of parents.

A survey by a parent committee formed to oppose the hike earlier this year found that two-third of 900 parents would look for alternative schooling over the next two years.

Maneesh Tripathi, CEO and director-general of GIF, said they want to shift from the fad of selling schools on the basis of facilities. “Education is not about seven star swimming pools and facilities but one that creates and nurtures global citizens.”

He said they were approached by several formal and informal groups that were interested in the school.

GEMS, the operator of DMHS, has quoted an increase in enrolments for next year. “The school is full with enrolments up on last year and 400 new online registrations for next April,” Richard Forbes, spokesperson for GEMS education, told Khaleej Times.

“GEMS believes the facilities on the new campus are the best of any Indian day school in the world, so we have no difficulty in welcoming competition into the market,” Forbes said.

GIIS has developed a campus by renovating a government-owned school and can accommodate 450 students in the first year. The school is located near the metro station in Karama.

“The school will offer world-class facilities such as more technology-enabled environment, state-of-the-art laboratories and excellent teacher-to-student ratio enabling personalised attention,” Kalwani said.

The fee structure is planned to include all extra-curricular activities offered by the school but transport will be outsourced. Kalwani said the education provider planned to open more schools in the UAE.

afshan@khaleejtimes.ae

• UAE