How a teacher's deal with Sheikh Zayed led to popular Islamic school in Abu Dhabi

Built in 1978, Islamiya English School today has a long waiting list

Islamiya English School was established in 1978. Photo: Khadija Darwish Alqubaisi

It was set up to serve Abu Dhabi's non-Arabic speaking Muslim community. Photo: Khadija Darwish Alqubaisi

Scouts at the school. Photo: Khadija Darwish Alqubaisi

Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, cuts a ribbon at the school. Photo: Khadija Darwish Alqubaisi

Cubs celebrate International Children's Day. Photo: Khadija Darwish Alqubaisi

An awards ceremony for karate. Photo: Khadija Darwish Alqubaisi

Scouts listening to the tales of a visiting ship's captain. Photo: Khadija Darwish Alqubaisi

lslamiya English School has 2,150 pupils of 27 nationalities. Photo: Ruel Pableo for The National

The school has sports facilities, its own newspaper and a sound room used to record audiobooks for the visually impaired. Photo: Ruel Pableo for The National

It offers British curriculum classes from KG1 to Grade 12. Ruel Pableo for The National

The library can hold 26,000 books. Photo: Ruel Pableo for The National

There is a long waiting list for a place at the school. Photo: Ruel Pableo for The National

The school is divided into three blocks, with mixed classes at primary level. Photo: Ruel Pableo for The National

Abu Dhabi’s first private school dedicated to serving the non-Arabic speaking Muslim community continues to thrive more than four decades after UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, agreed to hand over land, which led to its foundation.

Islamiya English School was established in 1978 by the late Darwish bin Karam, widely recognised as one of the country's most famous educators. Today, the non-profit school is run by his daughter, Khadija Darwish Alqubaisi, who told The National of her wish to continue her father's legacy and offer a low-cost British curriculum to thousands of pupils.

"We could have changed our name, rewritten a few policies and increased our prices but to change it in a way that would exhaust parents was unacceptable for me and would be betraying my father’s trust," she said during a tour of the school site. "I refuse to approve any hike in prices and will never change this policy as long as I’m alive."

How a teacher's deal with Sheikh Zayed led to popular Islamic school in Abu Dhabi

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Tuition fees at Islamiya start at Dh7,000 ($1,905) for primary grades and rise to Dh14,000 for high school, making it one of the most reasonably priced private schools in the capital. Despite its modest fees, it has grown to accommodate 2,150 pupils comprising 27 nationalities, offering British curriculum classes from KG1 to Grade 12.

It is divided into three blocks, with mixed classes for primary school – before pupils aged over 11 are separated by gender. Islamiya English School, which employs 120 teachers and 40 support staff, has sports facilities, a library that can hold 26,000 books, its own school newspaper and a sound room used to record audiobooks for the visually impaired.

Darwish bin Karam established the school in 1978 after asking Sheikh Zayed for land. Photo: Islamiya English School

A legacy of learning

Perhaps the school's most striking feature is its “Tolerance Wall”, which stretches the entire length of the courtyard and features a photo of Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, and Khadija Alqubaisi, alongside handwritten messages of tolerance written by Sheikh Nahyan, school visitors and pupils.

The school was refurbished recently but the legacy of its founder remains. Born in Abu Dhabi, bin Karam spent his early years as a pearl diver before discovering a passion for education. He began teaching in 1932 at the age of 13 and later went on to build the first brick school in Abu Dhabi, Al Ahlia, which was set up in the 1940s to provide education in Arabic, English, maths and Islamic studies to children from low-income families.

It was around this time that expats began coming to the UAE with their families’ for work. They approached bin Karam with a request – they wanted a school that would cater to their children who were Muslim and did not speak Arabic. As such, bin Karam approached the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, asking for land to build a school.

“At the time, the only schools in Abu Dhabi were missionary schools attached to churches,” said Ms Alqubaisi. “My father asked Sheikh Zayed to grant him land to open a school where children could learn Arabic and Islamic studies as well as other subjects.” Sheikh Zayed immediately agreed.

The Islamiya English School initially began as an Islamic centre housed in caravans, overseen by a board of respected scholars and educators. Over time, it evolved into a fully fledged school.

One of the buildings on its campus today is named after its founder – the Darwish bin Karam Quran Memorisation Centre, where children attend weekend classes to learn the Quran. A photograph of bin Karam still hangs on the wall.

“The school is part of my father’s inheritance to us,” said Ms Alqubaisi. “None of us take anything from this school. What profit the school makes goes back into the school. He built the school for the benefit of others and that is how we will keep it. This was what my father wanted.”

Pupils on a trip to the desert. Photo: Khadija Darwish Alqubaisi

Rising to the challenge

For Ms Alqubaisi, protecting the legacy of her father is non-negotiable but that does not mean it is always plain sailing. “To have a non-profit charity school among these enormous private schools in Abu Dhabi is a challenge,” she said. “But I love challenges and never come out defeated.”

Today, the school has a long waiting list and is unable to accept many applicants due to limited space. “My only request is that more schools like this develop,” Ms Alqubaisi said. “This is a dream – that there are more low-cost schools in the UAE. Our waiting lists are too long and we can’t accommodate them all.”

Despite financial limitations, Ms Alqubaisi says the quality of education has never been compromised. “I have the best teachers,” she said. “You don’t have to be blonde and blue-eyed to be a good teacher. Our teachers aren’t paid a lot but they are our family.

"In 20 years, I see it as one of the schools in the world carrying the same message, which is serving the community with integrity, honesty and the highest educational standards at the lowest costs.”