• Mazen Tammar, Head of Education Sector at RCRC: “Attracting prestigious global institutions such as OWIS is a big part of how Riyadh is creating a world-class education ecosystem. This is a significant milestone in improving educational opportunities for all Riyadh residents”

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – Singapore’s prestigious Global Schools Foundation (GSF) is opening its first school campus in the Saudi capital in August 2022, the Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC) announced today. This announcement is yet another milestone for the RCRC International Schools Attraction Program, an initiative to bring international schools to the Saudi capital in partnership with the Kingdom’s Ministry of Investment and the Ministry of Education.

Mazen Tammar, Head of Education Sector at the RCRC, said: “Attracting prestigious global institutions such as the OWIS is a big part of how Riyadh is creating a world-class education ecosystem. This is a significant milestone in improving educational opportunities for all Riyadh residents. The international institutions brought here by the RCRC will not only enhance the education sector but also contribute to the transformation of the capital into one of the world's most competitive and liveable cities by 2030.”

The GSF currently operates 26 campuses in eight countries with a strength of over 25,000 students from 70 nationalities. Recognized as the world's most awarded network of schools by the World Book of Records, London UK & Switzerland in 2021, GSF received 350 international awards in educational excellence, health and safety, social and emotional leaning, and organisational excellence from the world’s leading award bodies.

The school offers comprehensive and holistic educational programs that include arts, sports, music, and languages. OWIS provides personalized teaching for various stages of development including International Baccalaureate (IB), Primary Years Programme (PYP) and an American curriculum based on Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

OWIS has received notoriety from renowned organizations such as the Asia Pacific Quality Organization for its innovative practices in international curricula. The Foundation has a track record in creating technology-enabled learning environments and providing diverse linguistic and cultural exposure to students in Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Cambodia, Thailand, India, United Arab Emirates, and Malaysia.

Atul Temurnikar, Chairman of the GSF, said: “OWIS believes in an all-inclusive education to help the next generation blossom into young adults with a global outlook. The school also adapted its education to meet the needs of the changing times. The Riyadh campus will reflect the OWIS’s inherent philosophy of commitment to quality education. It will also give students the right foundation to propel them to international success in the future.”

The school offers modern, state-of-the-art infrastructure within a digital environment, designed to impart 21st century learning abilities to make students inquisitive explorers, able to apply their education in real world experiences. Through sports and skills-based learning, students will be given the opportunity to hone inherent talents and acquire new proficiencies. The range of programs offered include coding, robotics, design and technology, and STEM-related studies.

OWIS students in Riyadh will gain exposure to peers, experts, and faculty from the GSF’s global education network through interschool, inter-campus and international activities to support in building strong student portfolios and global mindsets. GSF’s educational offering is underpinned by value-driven programs that build emotional intelligence, encourage awareness, and equip students with the ability to flourish in culturally diverse environments.

Distinguished as one of the best education systems in the world by the OECD, Singapore’s education system has placed top-five in educational outcomes by both the Program for International Schools Assessment (PISA) and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS).

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About the Royal Commission for Riyadh City

The Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC) oversees the strategic, comprehensive, and multi-phase development programs aimed at transforming Riyadh into one of the top ten city economies by 2030. Established in 1974 under the name “The High Commission for the Development of Arriyadh,” the organization was renamed “The Riyadh Development Authority” in 2018, and subsequently became “The Royal Commission for Riyadh City” by a Royal Decree in 2019.

About Global Schools Foundation

Founded in 2002, Singapore-based GSF has several international brands under its aegis, including OWIS, Dwight School - Korea, GIIS etc. It operates 26 campuses in eight countries with a strength of over 25,000 students from 70 nationalities across Asia and the Middle East, and is internationally recognised for its high standards in established academic criteria, management processes and quality of governance. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will be the ninth country in the GSF network.

For more information, please contact:
Giorgios Retsinas
Advisor, RCRC
Retsinas.G@rcrc.gov.sa