Emaar Education commences student registration

Emaar's schools, all located in Umm Suqeim, will offer three streams of curricula leading to the International Baccalaureate Diploma, American High School Diploma, and the Cambridge University's International General Certificate of Education - Advanced Level.

Registrations will initially be for Kindergarten to Grade 8, and can be made at the special registration centre at Hayya! Meadows Village in The Meadows - part of Emaar's Emirates Living community.

The admissions, open to all nationalities, will be by interview and assessment on English Language and Mathematics. The schools, currently under construction, will open in September 2007. Mrs Anna Kizirian, an accomplished educationalist with extensive experience in the United Kingdom, Canada and the Middle East, has been appointed as Head of Schools for Raffles International Schools in Dubai.

"Raffles International School will mark a new era in the international education sector of the country, a fact highlighted by the endorsement we have received from KHDA for all our educational ventures here," said Mr Ahmad Al Matrooshi, Managing Director - UAE, Emaar Properties. "The three schools, which will have centres of excellence for art, science, and sports, will offer internationally recognized curricula that meet the requirements of the cosmopolitan population in Dubai."

Dr. Abdulla Al Karam, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director General of KHDA, said: "We congratulate Emaar on taking these innovative steps to realize its role as an educational provider, which is in tandem with KHDA's plan to enhance the quality of education, increase the capacity of schools, and continually provide students with increasing access to high-quality opportunities across all education sectors. By supporting homegrown corporations such as Emaar, KHDA seeks to enable parents to better provide their children with quality education."

"Emaar Education is redefining educational standards in the region with its holistic approach towards grooming youngsters," said Mrs Kizirian. "Education must reflect the aspirations and needs of the society, and we are creating models that will help in shaping individuals, who will be equipped to handle the challenges that are faced in the workplace and the society at large."

Raffles International School will follow the highly-acclaimed Singapore model, where the emphasis is on delivering an 'integrated campus', which assures the all-rounded development of students from nursery to tertiary levels with a balanced focus on academic courses, personality development, sports and cultural activities.

"The advantage of our integrated campus model is that it enables our students to adapt easily should they relocate to other countries within our global campus network," said Mr Boon Yew Ng, Chief Executive Officer of Emaar Education.

Emaar had earlier acquired the Singapore-based Raffles Campus to provide expertise to its educational institutions. Emaar has also opened its first international school in Singapore - the Emaar Raffles International School (ERIS) - this year.

"In line with the objectives outlined by the KHDA, Raffles International School takes into consideration regional requirements," added Mr Ng. "Though the medium of instruction will be in English, all students are encouraged to learn their mother-tongue as a second language, which includes Arabic, French, Hindi and Mandarin. A third language, from the same list, is optional. There will be other local aspects too including religious and social studies."

Raffles International Schools have an international pool of teachers with many faculty members to be hired locally and trained by the educational experts from Raffles Campus. The schools will feature advanced educational tools including modern laboratories and a range of sporting and recreational facilities such as swimming pools, tennis courts, soccer grounds and dance studios.

Emaar will be opening five schools in Dubai - the three at Umm Suqeim and two at Al Barsha apart from four nurseries and kindergartens located within Emaar's master-planned communities - The Springs, The Lakes and Emirates Hills.

Emaar's investment in education is in line with the company's Vision 2010 of becoming one of the most valuable companies in the world through focused expansion and diversification. The company plans to open educational institutions in the emerging markets in the Middle East and North Africa, the Indian Subcontinent and East Asia.