Four UAE schools opening this month for the start of the new academic year will seek to champion sustainability and promote a better work-life balance for parents.
The new buildings – two each in Abu Dhabi and Dubai – will welcome thousands of pupils as the country's education sector tries to keep pace with a population boom.
Some are managing pupil waiting lists and have expanded year groups ahead of the first day back at school on August 26 to meet the growing demand.
From a net-zero school in Masdar City, which will generate as much energy as it consumes, to a community school in the centre of Jumeira, the new facilities are at the heart of a major school building strategy gathering pace across the Emirates.
Head teachers say they want to ensure access to top-quality education remains affordable to all.
Dubai British School Jumeira
Area: Al Wasl, Dubai
Fees: The charge for foundation stage one is Dh42,900 ($11,680), going up to Dh49,100 in year six
The school aims to be a focal point within the community and encourage a sense of belonging among staff, pupils and parents.
Parents will be welcome to stay back at school and work from the cafeteria on Fridays, when children have half-days.
“When we say we want to be a community school, we want to have families using this facility in every way that we possibly can, while obviously maintaining the standard of education,” said principal Lee Hole.
“Our focus from day one is on how we can make this school feel like a British community school and one of the main things about that is making it welcoming."
The pupil-teacher ratio varies throughout the school. Early years have about 22 pupils per class with a teacher and an assistant teacher, while years one and above have 26 per class.
“We are almost full in every year group. We've already had to expand in almost every year group. We're already waitlisted," said Mr Hole.
The school is offering a founders' discount to families joining this year, which will apply until the pupil is in primary school. Founding fees for families joining this year are from Dh42,900 in foundation stage one to Dh49,100 in year six, while KHDA has approved fees of Dh43,500 in foundation stage one to Dh58,836 in year six.
The school expects to open with about 550 pupils this month, with more than 500 pupils already enrolled.
“Our initial target was about 370 pupils and we've already gone way beyond that,” said Mr Hole.
The capacity when all classes are functioning is 1,700.
The school has a sports hall, a grass football pitch, a fitness centre and primary and secondary school libraries.
“What I've said to our families is that we don't deliver our curriculum through a screen,” said Mr Hole.
He said iPads and the digital devices could be useful as resources in the same way as a calculator.
Gems Founders School Masdar City
Location: Masdar City, Abu Dhabi
Fees: Fees for foundation stage one are Dh26,000 and for year seven are Dh34,000
Gems Founders School Masdar City will be a net-zero school as it will generate as much energy as it consumes, helping to cut its carbon footprint and support the UAE's green drive.
The campus will feature a network of solar panels covering 9,500 square metres, projected to generate 3.1 million kilowatts of energy each year.
The panels will power the school and provide shade for the building's roof, car park and walkways.
The school will initially welcome more than 1,000 pupils, from foundation stage one to year eight, with capacity to eventually serve 4,000.
Fees at the school range from Dh26,000 at foundation stage to Dh34,000 in year eight.
Albie Huyser, principal at Gems Founders School Masdar City, said: “We will be teaching all the subjects in the British curriculum but with a focus on sustainability.
"It's not just about having a sustainability lesson once a week – of course we will have that and have lots of activities during the school day focusing on sustainability – but for us it needs to permeate and be incorporated in every single lesson. It doesn't matter if we do maths or science or history."
She said she hoped parents would see the school as a beacon of sustainability and innovation.
Gems Founders School Dubai South
Location: Dubai South
Fees: From Dh27,300 in foundation stage one to Dh35,700 in years seven and eight
Gems Founders School Dubai South will focus on logistics, operations and enterprise.
Its 23,255-square-metre campus will offer the UK curriculum to pupils in foundation stage one to year eight.
The school has reduced fees for founding families by 25 per cent. The school’s fees range from Dh27,300 in foundation stage one to Dh35,700 in year seven, while KHDA has approved fees from Dh36,400 in foundation stage to Dh47,600 in year seven.
The school will serve 500 pupils for the new academic year, with capacity to increase in phases to eventually house 2,985 by its fifth year of operation.
“Gems Founders School Dubai South is distinguished by its inclusive philosophy, innovative practices, holistic approach and strong community focus,” said Matthew Burfield, senior vice president of education at Gems.
“The major focus will be operations and logistics and this will be where we focus a lot of our curriculum provision.
"We've already looked at introducing a very large space within the school, which we designated as an innovation space, but will be focused on operations and logistics.
"We're looking at trying to help children understand a globalised approach and the interconnectivity of the world."
For example, pupils will study what happens to strawberries grown in Spain, how these are sent abroad, and the carbon footprint, trade and logistics involved in the process.
Noya British School
Area: Yas Island, Abu Dhabi
Fees: Start at Dh28,000 in foundation stage one to Dh43,000 in year 12-13
Noya British School aims to deliver quality and affordable education.
The campus has been designed to promote sustainability, with a plan to include hydroponic facilities – a soil-free method of horticulture – also in the pipeline.
Rachael Giles, founding principal of the Noya establishment, said the school would be diverse, inclusive and community-based.
“We're attracting pupils from beyond Yas Island. I think its affordability, and the standard of coming from Aldar education, is attracting a lot of parents," she said.
“The school distinguishes itself by offering a holistic educational approach while maintaining competitive pricing at a premium location."
“Parents are increasingly seeking schools that are conveniently located within residential communities. The design of Noya British School beautifully encapsulates this ethos by creating a space that fosters a strong sense of community.
The school plans to open with 800 pupils and has able to accommodate 3,000 in total.
It has discounted founders' fees to all pupils for the first two years. Approved fees of Dh32,000 in foundation stage one will be reduced to Dh28,000. For years 12 and 13, fees will be cut from Dh47,000 to Dh43,000.
Revival
Eminem
Interscope
Info
What: 11th edition of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship
When: December 27-29, 2018
Confirmed: men: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Kevin Anderson, Dominic Thiem, Hyeon Chung, Karen Khachanov; women: Venus Williams
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae, Virgin megastores or call 800 86 823
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The past winners
2009 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
2010 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
2011 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
2012 - Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus)
2013 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
2014 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2015 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)
2016 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2017 - Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
Brief scores:
Toss: Sindhis, elected to field first
Kerala Knights 103-7 (10 ov)
Parnell 59 not out; Tambe 5-15
Sindhis 104-1 (7.4 ov)
Watson 50 not out, Devcich 49
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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How to get there
Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
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%3Cp%3EThe%20BaaS%20value%20chain%20consists%20of%20four%20key%20players%3A%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsumers%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20End-users%20of%20the%20financial%20product%20delivered%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDistributors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Also%20known%20as%20embedders%2C%20these%20are%20the%20firms%20that%20embed%20baking%20services%20directly%20into%20their%20existing%20customer%20journeys%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEnablers%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Usually%20Big%20Tech%20or%20FinTech%20companies%20that%20help%20embed%20financial%20services%20into%20third-party%20platforms%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EProviders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Financial%20institutions%20holding%20a%20banking%20licence%20and%20offering%20regulated%20products%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Moral education needed in a 'rapidly changing world'
Moral education lessons for young people is needed in a rapidly changing world, the head of the programme said.
Alanood Al Kaabi, head of programmes at the Education Affairs Office of the Crown Price Court - Abu Dhabi, said: "The Crown Price Court is fully behind this initiative and have already seen the curriculum succeed in empowering young people and providing them with the necessary tools to succeed in building the future of the nation at all levels.
"Moral education touches on every aspect and subject that children engage in.
"It is not just limited to science or maths but it is involved in all subjects and it is helping children to adapt to integral moral practises.
"The moral education programme has been designed to develop children holistically in a world being rapidly transformed by technology and globalisation."
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Results
1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 1hr 32mins 03.897sec
2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull-Honda) at 0.745s
3. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) 37.383s
4. Lando Norris (McLaren) 46.466s
5.Sergio Perez (Red Bull-Honda) 52.047s
6. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 59.090s
7. Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) 1:06.004
8. Carlos Sainz Jr (Ferrari) 1:07.100
9. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri-Honda) 1:25.692
10. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin-Mercedes) 1:26.713,
RESULT
Wolves 1 (Traore 67')
Tottenham 2 (Moura 8', Vertonghen 90 1')
Man of the Match: Adama Traore (Wolves)
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