Founded in 2002, Global Indian International School (GIIS), which has campuses in the UAE, Singapore, Japan, India, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, offers a comprehensive range of curricula for Kindergarten to Grade 12 students. These include the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, Cambridge IGCSE, the Central Board of Secondary Education and the Global Montessori Plus programme; the last was awarded 3 Stars (highest) at the World Quality Congress held at Abu Dhabi for innovations introduced in the KG curriculum, says Amol Vaidya, Senior Director Operations at GIIS.
The group’s mission is to nurture young minds into global leaders through its proprietary 9 GEMS™ methodology, a holistic approach to teaching that balances academics with sports, entrepreneurship, performing arts and character development.
“GIIS UAE campuses are ISO certified for the highest standards in health and safety.”
How GIIS is preparing to welcome students
ADEK had selected GIIS as one of the few schools that would be the lead school for Distance Learning because of our readiness and we will provide support and guidance to partner schools. “When we reopen in September 2020, students will return to school as per their chosen model,” says Dr Heena Rachh, Principal, Abu Dhabi GIIS campus.
“The school has strictly followed the requirements for resuming operations as per ADEK guidelines. In line with the hygiene and sanitisation policy, hand sanitising stations at key locations, thermal cameras and automatic sanitisers at all access points, process in place for demarcation of 2m distance, detection of individuals not wearing masks, regular disinfection of all areas, isolation room with vital PPE supplies, negative Covid test for entry into the school, face shields for all staff, and demarcation of toilets are in place. Non-contact sports will be encouraged and onsite or online use of sports facilities through interactive resources will be done at both campuses, say the educators.
GIIS Dubai has been eagerly waiting to welcome its students back to school and in person. Among other Covid-related precautions, school buses will be running at 50 per cent capacity, temperature checks will be done and separate entry points have been designated for students using school transport and those using own transport, says Mr Ramesh Mudgal, Principal of GIIS Dubai. Students will have chairs and desks that will be unique for each. Floor markings are pasted to ensure adherence to social distancing norms, while high-end cameras/microphones are being set up inside classrooms for live streaming the same lessons for those attending school from home. Meanwhile, students of GIIS Dubai represented the school in What Works Dubai – a KHDA initiative, multiple times, to showcase their innovative projects.
Geared for hybrid or blended education
The school will follow a hybrid approach where students who have opted for online learning will be provided with 100 per cent distance learning on Zoom platform, says Dr Rachh.
The Hybrid or Blended Education Model is not new for GIIS Dubai, says Ramesh. ‘GIIS’ proactive teachers have successfully implemented 100 per cent distance learning from April to June 2020. DSIB Distance Learning Evaluation has rated the school’s provision as ‘Developed’.
Major achievements in these Covid times
Meticulous planning was done for teachers’ training, parents’ awareness and students’ well-being at GIIS Abu Dhabi, says Dr Heena. Timetable with a short break between classes, online labs and simulation, online assessment tools, quizzes, interactive learning resources, coding workshops and interactive one-on-one sessions were some of the USPs of the distance-learning model at GIIS Abu Dhabi.
“Even during the pandemic, over 96 per cent attendance on average was recorded at GIIS Dubai,” says Ramesh. A Virtual Student Summit was also organised by student leaders to discuss and deliberate on UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, among other initiatives.
GIIS Dubai offers resilience discount of up to 35 per cent on term two tuition fees. Enquire now.
