Dubai: A new eco-friendly school which will include an organic farm and where students acquire knowledge by interacting with nature will open its doors for students in April next year in Ajman.
The launch was announced during a press conference held in Dubai on Tuesday.
At full capacity, the Dh50 million Habitat School, which will follow the CBSE curriculum, will be able to take in 6,000 students. Admissions for the first phase will start from next month and include 1,800 students from kindergarten to grade six only. The second phase will start in the academic year 2014/15 and will include students up to grade 12.
Habitat School will come up on 10 acres of land and include a 50,000 square metre organic farm with a greenhouse where students will learn about plants and farming, Shaikh Sultan Bin Saqr Al Nuaimi, chairman of the school and advisor to the undersecretary of the Minister of Economy in Ajman, said.
“Students will take farming classes which will be integrated within the curriculum. We will also have small forests were students can learn about the benefits of medicinal plants,” he added.
The produce from the organic garden will be given to charity to encourage philanthropic work among students.
Green building
Shaikh Sultan also said that the school will facilitate water and electricity preservation, and thereby comply with the government’s move towards green buildings.
“The school will not only prepare environmentally aware youth to become leaders of the future, but also meet the demand for private schools in Ajman,” he said.
Academic director of the school C.T. Adil said it will offer six second language options for children to choose from. “The children will have six second languages to choose from: Arabic, Hindi, Urdu, Tamil, Malayalam and Bangla. We will also offer students an option to enrol in our day boarding facilities that will end at 4.30pm.”
Adil said the fee structure has not been set as yet as the ministry did not approve it. However, he claimed that lower class families will be able to afford the fees.
Other than in Ajman, the school’s bus transportation will reach Dubai, Sharjah and Umm Al Quwain.
