UAE: Four new schools, one university campus and 12 nurseries will be developed by the Amity Education Group as part of a major expansion plan undertaken by the group in UAE.
In an exclusive interview with Khaleej Times, Atul Chauhan, president of Amity Education announced the group’s plan to invest $500 million over the next three years to build UAE’s education capacity.
“We are planning to build schools across the UAE. Our commitment to the UAE comes as part of our resolve to build a global network of institutions,” said Atul.
The group plans to open schools catering to different curricula with work already underway for a British curriculum and International Baccalaureate IB school in Abu Dhabi.
“It is the largest school plot given in Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) has been very supportive,” he added.
The new school will be developed near Yas Island, catering to students living in Raha beach, Mohammed bin Zayed City and Khalifa City.
“There is a need for good quality schools and we have an exceptional record. We are looking at developing community schools in different new developments across Dubai and Abu Dhabi.”
Two of the proposed schools will follow the Indian CBSE curriculum and the other schools will be developed in line with the recommendations from Adec and Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA).
Students in Dubai will be given an opportunity to move across the Amity network of institutions spread throughout the world.
“There has been immense growth at our institutions in India and we have a presence in 20 cities. Our students can shift from one campus to another, which is a big advantage.”
Earlier this year, the group had announced plans to build its new campus in Dubai International Academic City (DIAC) with a proposed facility aimed at supporting 5,000 students.
Almost 80 per cent of the development will take place in the first phase of the construction, with sports facilities and a football field coming up on the 700,000 square feet facility.
“The campus can be extended even further and the new facility has the potential to become the largest private university campus in the Middle East,” said Atul.
Apart from schools and universities, the group has also announced plans to invest in preschools. The Littlewoods Nursery was acquired as part of the company’s plan to get into early years education.
“We are currently working out plans to construct the biggest pre-school in Dubai which will be located in Jumeirah Islands. The facility will house 600 pre-school children, which will be aimed at a premium market.”
© Khaleej Times
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