A leading Dubai education provider will open a new school for 1,650 pupils next year as part of an expansion drive to meet the needs of the emirate's growing population.
Taaleem announced on Tuesday that the Dubai British School - Jumeira will open in August, in time for the 2024-25 academic year.
The school, which will be based in Al Wasl on a 22,227 square metre plot, has been established amid strong demand for places at the operator's Dubai British School branches in Emirates Hills and Jumeirah Park.
It will follow the UK curriculum and will initially cater to children aged between three and 11 in Early Years Foundation Stage 1 to Year 6, before eventually accommodating older age groups.
“I am delighted to mark the beginning of another chapter in The Dubai British School family's success,” said Sam Truman, Taaleem's chief operating officer.
“The investment in this school is testament to our commitment to bring affordable, world class education to the growing communities of Dubai.”
School fees will range from Dh42,000 to Dh76,000 a year.
“I feel extremely privileged and excited about the community we are building,” said Lee Hole, founding principal at Dubai British School - Jumeira.
He said the school aimed to empower students to “reach for their potential”.
“Every child has the ability to achieve great things when they find the right school environment and are nurtured to achieve their best,” he said.
The opening is one of four premium British schools planned by Taaleem over the next two years.
Alan Williamson, Taaleem's chief executive, told The National in October that another school was due to open in Mira in 2024.
Two more schools — one in Abu Dhabi and another in Dubai — are due to open in 2025.
Mr Williamson said each school would have the capacity for 1,600 to 2,000 pupils, with fees ranging from Dh45,000 to Dh75,000.
Meeting population demands
Dubai's top education groups are embarking on teacher recruitment drives and school building programmes to keep pace with the emirate's population boom.
The city's population crossed the 3.5 million mark in April 2022 and is expected to surge to 5.8 million by 2040 due to a spike in post-pandemic immigration.
The Knowledge and Human Development Authority, Dubai's private education regulator, announced in March that Dubai's private school population had exceeded 300,000 for the first time.
It said enrolment at private schools had increased by 4.5 per cent since the previous academic year.
Twenty-two new schools have opened in the past three years, bringing the number of private schools in Dubai to 216, the KHDA said.
Mr Williamson told The National in November that the school group had doubled its pupil population in the past two years and aimed to to double it again by 2027.
“We went from 13,000 pupils in 2020 to having more than 27,400 in 2022,” he said.
“We expect to continue the growth trajectory of Taaleem in line with the growth of the UAE's population.”
Taaleem has a staff of 1,700 teachers, but to keep up with the demand, may need to employ between 1,000 and 1,500 more.
Mr Williamson said independent market research showed there would be 60,000 new pupils in the UAE over the next five years.
“With over 60,000 additional young people coming into the UAE and Dubai, these young people will need schools, and Taaleem will be at the heart of that,” he said.
The biog
Siblings: five brothers and one sister
Education: Bachelors in Political Science at the University of Minnesota
Interests: Swimming, tennis and the gym
Favourite place: UAE
Favourite packet food on the trip: pasta primavera
What he did to pass the time during the trip: listen to audio books
2019 ASIAN CUP FINAL
Japan v Qatar
Friday, 6pm
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20S24%20ULTRA
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Mumbai Indians 213/6 (20 ov)
Royal Challengers Bangalore 167/8 (20 ov)
The specs: 2019 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera
Price, base: Dh1.2 million
Engine: 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 725hp @ 6,500pm
Torque: 900Nm @ 1,800rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.3L / 100km (estimate)
Financial considerations before buying a property
Buyers should try to pay as much in cash as possible for a property, limiting the mortgage value to as little as they can afford. This means they not only pay less in interest but their monthly costs are also reduced. Ideally, the monthly mortgage payment should not exceed 20 per cent of the purchaser’s total household income, says Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching.
“If it’s a rental property, plan for the property to have periods when it does not have a tenant. Ensure you have enough cash set aside to pay the mortgage and other costs during these periods, ideally at least six months,” she says.
Also, shop around for the best mortgage interest rate. Understand the terms and conditions, especially what happens after any introductory periods, Ms Glynn adds.
Using a good mortgage broker is worth the investment to obtain the best rate available for a buyer’s needs and circumstances. A good mortgage broker will help the buyer understand the terms and conditions of the mortgage and make the purchasing process efficient and easier.
MIDWAY
Produced: Lionsgate Films, Shanghai Ryui Entertainment, Street Light Entertainment
Directed: Roland Emmerich
Cast: Ed Skrein, Woody Harrelson, Dennis Quaid, Aaron Eckhart, Luke Evans, Nick Jonas, Mandy Moore, Darren Criss
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3EFounder%3A%20Hani%20Abu%20Ghazaleh%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20with%20an%20office%20in%20Montreal%3Cbr%3EFounded%3A%202018%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Virtual%20Reality%3Cbr%3EInvestment%20raised%3A%20%241.2%20million%2C%20and%20nearing%20close%20of%20%245%20million%20new%20funding%20round%3Cbr%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%2012%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Day 1, Dubai Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Sadeera Samarawickrama set pulses racing with his strokeplay on his introduction to Test cricket. It reached a feverish peak when he stepped down the wicket and launched Yasir Shah, who many regard as the world’s leading spinner, back over his head for six. No matter that he was out soon after: it felt as though the future had arrived.
Stat of the day - 5 The last time Sri Lanka played a Test in Dubai – they won here in 2013 – they had four players in their XI who were known as wicketkeepers. This time they have gone one better. Each of Dinesh Chandimal, Kaushal Silva, Samarawickrama, Kusal Mendis, and Niroshan Dickwella – the nominated gloveman here – can keep wicket.
The verdict Sri Lanka want to make history by becoming the first team to beat Pakistan in a full Test series in the UAE. They could not have made a better start, first by winning the toss, then by scoring freely on an easy-paced pitch. The fact Yasir Shah found some turn on Day 1, too, will have interested their own spin bowlers.
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis