Dubai: A new, bigger campus catering to the high demand of students choosing to study at the German International School of Dubai (DISD) will be opened next year in Dubai Academic City.
The school association of the DISD yesterday announced the ground-breaking project, which is estimated to cost Dh120 million and is expected to open in September 2015.
The 17,000 square metre campus, which will accommodate 1,000 students, is said to offer students more sport facilities including two football courts, running tracks, an Olympic size pool, a gymnasium, more labs and other facilities.
With around 10,000 Germans in the UAE, German Consul German Stefan Gallon said the economic exchange between Germany and the UAE is growing by about more than 10 per cent every year, which is bringing in more expatriates who choose to enrolltheir children in the German school for many reasons.
Speaking about the new project he said: “The DISD is a cornerstone of the relationship between our two nations, and the new campus is a testament of our commitment to further strengthening this association.”
“The new campus will provide anything that any modern campus in Germany can provide. It will be a carbon copy of any school in Germany, only we will have to adopt it to the local climate,” he said.
Gallon said the German government continues to support German schools abroad with about 350 million euros every year, and send teachers with experience from Germany to stay in DISD for six years.
In attendance at the announcement was Dr Abdullah Al Karam, Chief Executive Officer of Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), said the school has been providing good quality education to students for the past 10 years.
“The new campus will be able to serve more families, adding to the diversity of the Dubai schools community and offering parents even greater choice,” he said.
Explaining the reasons why Germans send their children to DISD, Gallon said, “This is because when they decide to go back to Germany, their children will have to continue following the same curriculum. So, they make sure they follow the German school system, which goes according to age and provides the German certificate Abitur.”
Beth Rahman, Chairwoman of the Board of DISD, said that the school currently has 550 pupils enrolled, but with a waiting list for the kindergarten level, which she says shows the demand for the school.
“We also have other nationalities such as some Egyptians as well. We do teach the Arabic language in three levels in our school, not only because the KHDA requires it, but because the school believes that being part of the community is very important,” she said.
Rahman also said that with the Abitur diploma, students get a chance to enjoy access to the last free university system education in the world, which is in Germany.
The new school is a collaboration between the Board of the German School and Sharaf Group.
