Dubai: National Charity School Dubai students have been delighted by a colourful makeover of some campus areas, organised by AkzoNobel’s first Human Cities project in the region.
Sections of the school’s Garhoud branch were in poor condition before 55 AkzoNobel employees spent three weeks painting and refurbishing the gym area, art room and reading corner.
Pupils said they were impressed by the renovation, which has made them more eager to learn and play at school. The project was completed on Monday, following a tour of the upgrades.
AkzoNobel, a global supplier of paints and coatings, chose to renovate the school as part of its Human Cities initiative, which is focused on “improving, energising and regenerating urban communities across the world”. This is the first time the initiative has been implemented in the region.
The National Charity Schools group in the UAE offers low fees and scholarships to families who cannot afford the more expensive private education options. In Dubai, its annual tuition fee ranges from Dh4,277 for grade one to Dh7,841 for grade 12.
The National Charity Schools was established in 1983 by prominent UAE philanthropist and entrepreneur Juma Al Majid. It now teaches around 11,000 students.
On Monday, students looked on as AkzoNobel employees gave the finishing touches to the project.
“We’re deeply appreciative of this great project. We are committed to fulfilling the vision of His Excellency Juma Al Majid, the founder, to deliver high quality education, and creating a positive educational environment goes a long way to accomplishing this,” said Dr Kamal Mohammad Farhat, general manager, The National Charity Schools.
Peter Tomlinson, managing director, AkzoNobel Middle East & Performance Coatings Africa, said: “There is no better place than an educational institution — especially one with such noble values as The National Charity Schools — to roll out this initiative. With the renovation of the Secondary Section, we aim to create an inspiring school environment that will bring the best out of the students.”
Students toured the upgrades on Tuesday enthusiastically, playing in the gym area and colouring in the art class. Palestinian sixth grader Hala Rasheed, 11, said: “It’s so nice, I like the school this way. I’m more interested now to study more.”
As well as painting the Secondary Section with bright Dulux colours — which can resist high summer temperatures — the company also added new facilities such as safe flooring, book shelves and sports equipment.
