Group plans four more schools in Dubai by 2020

The Indian High School Group will open four more schools in Dubai by the year 2020, the management announced on Monday at the official opening ceremony of the Indian International School. Shaikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates airline and Group, inaugurated the Indian International School (IIS) at Dubai Silicon Oasis, the integrated free zone technology park. "Our plan is to open four more schools in Dubai before year 2020, to increase our student strength up to 25,000 pupils," Mohan Valrani, Honorary Chairman of Indian High School (IHS) told Gulf News. The new schools will all follow the Indian curriculum and are likely to deliver both Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and CBSE-I (CBSE International) curricula. Other details such as location of the schools are yet to be decided as the projects are still in the proposal stage, he said. Article continues below ‘Outstanding' IIS is the first branch of the IHS, the oldest Indian school in Dubai, which turned 51 this year. As Gulf News reported in December 2011, IHS earned an ‘outstanding' rating in this year's school inspections conducted by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA). After the completion of the first phase of IIS, nursery and grade one classes began at the IIS last year with 450 pupils enrolled. With the school building fully completed this year, the school will offer classes up to grade 5. "All the seats have been taken and the admissions are closed already for this academic year," he said. The plan is to introduce two more grades every year, he added. To mark the official opening, IIS donated a minibus to Rashid Paediatric Centre and the keys were presented by Shaikh Ahmad. The new schools will focus also on making more seats available for children with special needs, Valrani said, adding that access to quality education, he believes, is the right of every child. Dr Abdullah Al Karam, Chairman of Board of Directors and Director General of KHDA, thanked the founders of the school and the contribution they made to four generations of graduates who benefited from their vision. "These students have become ambassadors of Dubai and must feel very proud now that their old school, Indian High, has been judged as one of the two outstanding Indian schools in Dubai," he said.