Sunday, Aug 18, 2013
Abu Dhabi: New private schools are to be built in Khalifa A, Al Wathba and Al Falah areas to meet increasing demand, the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) has announced.
The number of seats for private schools will increase by five per cent by the 2015/2016 academic year, as Adec bids to meet demand in the lower education sector. The growth represents an 11,000 school seat increase in the coming three years.
Private investors are invited to look into Adec’s plan to build schools in Khalifa A, Al Wathba and Al Falah areas.
The new schools will offer curricula most in demand, namely, Indian, American, British and Ministry of Education systems.
While this may be a beneficial move for parents looking to transfer their children to new schools in the future, some do not agree on the project’s feasibility.
“I expect the 2015 schools to be a lot pricier. This is because when Adec closed the 15 villa schools in February this year, my children and I suffered as I had to transfer them and Adec only opened three new facilities in compensation,” said S.H., a Sudanese mother of three who also works in the education sector.
“I found those new schools to be extremely unaffordable compared with the ones I previously had my children placed in. I am currently paying a total of around Dh21,000 for both my children who are in 4th and 7th grade in addition to another Dh12,000 for bus fees. I will have to relocate my children yet again because the school they are enrolled in will only remain open in its location for three years. I do not think that I will opt for the 2015 schools when that happens,” she added.
Parents cited distance as another reason why they may not place their children in Adec’s new schools, adding that students will not have enough time for a social life as they commute to and from school, especially if they live in the capital city’s centre.
Fully equipped
However, Adec officials said that the land located within the capital city is fully occupied making the only options available for building schools in Khalifa A, Al Wathba and Al Fallah areas.
“The island of Abu Dhabi is saturated; in addition, these areas are growing by the day and are attractive for many families who chose to relocate there. In addition, to the fact that they are not far from the island of Abu Dhabi at all,” said Hamad Al Daheri, executive director, Private Schools and Quality Assurance (PSQA) Sector at Adec.
Adec officials also said the schools will be fully equipped with gymnasiums, libraries and other facilities. However, the size of the land is still unknown.
“Currently there is a demand to provide 201,744 private school seats and supply is 175,441. By the 2015/2016 academic school year we expect this demand to rise to 225,521. Thus we are involved in providing all opportunities possible to facilitate the opening of new private schools,” said Tareq Al Ameri, Business Development Division manager, PSQA.
Further details for potential investors will be released in an advertisement, which is expected to be published in September, Adec announced. The advertisement will contain details regarding the related Request for Proposal (RfP) and the exact steps to take for qualified, committed and interested investors to partake in the land RfP.
By Nada Al Taher Staff Reporter
Gulf News 2013. All rights reserved.
