A new schools group is being set up in Dubai to boost the quality of education offered to Emiratis and residents, and help prepare pupils for university abroad, it was announced on Friday.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, has issued a law to set up the Rashid and Latifa Schools Establishment, to enhance the quality of education provided to citizens and residents attending schools that are part of the establishment, Dubai Media Office said.
The new establishment will be responsible for the Rashid School for Boys and the Latifa School for Girls, which are currently overseen by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority in Dubai.

It will also seek to attract highly qualified teachers and to promote Dubai's education sector.
Rashid School for Boys and Latifa School for Girls are two of Dubai's oldest schools and are located in Nad Al Sheba.
Both are currently closed for major refurbishments and are set to reopen next year.
Latifa School, which opened in 1982, offers the British curriculum and the Arabic and Islamic curriculum approved by the UAE Ministry of Education.
Rashid School, established in 1986, was a secondary school until 2003, when it opened an elementary section.
The establishment will also create its own schools in the emirate and abroad — either on its own or through a partnership with the private sector.
The Rashid and Latifa Schools Establishment will be tasked with developing and implementing educational programmes up to a secondary level, officials said.
It will also provide degrees to pupils who complete accredited educational programmes.
All staff from the two schools will be transferred to the new establishment.
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One in nine do not have enough to eat
Created in 1961, the World Food Programme is pledged to fight hunger worldwide as well as providing emergency food assistance in a crisis.
One of the organisation’s goals is the Zero Hunger Pledge, adopted by the international community in 2015 as one of the 17 Sustainable Goals for Sustainable Development, to end world hunger by 2030.
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ALRAWABI%20SCHOOL%20FOR%20GIRLS
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May 2017
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September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
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December 2024
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May 2025
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July 2025
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August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
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The%20specs
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
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- Grade 7 = grade A
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- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G


