DUBAI // Pupils of Indian High School (IHS) were urged in a ceremony to mark its golden anniversary yesterday to give back to their community after the example of the institution's founders.
More than 1,000 children, parents, teachers and administrators from the school that caters to the children of Indian expatriates gathered in the Sheikh Rashid Auditorium to celebrate the institution's 50th birthday.
Speakers included Mohan Valrani, the IHS chairman, and Sanjay Verma, the Indian consul general to Dubai, who extolled the virtues of community awareness.
The school has been recognised by the Indian government as the world's best Indian-curriculum facility, and the IHS has also been active in charity work, raising funds for local causes such as Dubai Cares and the Rashid Paediatric Centre.
"The founding fathers of IHS were and are very successful people, yet they had a strong sense of doing the right thing and giving back," Mr Verma said. "The IHS is the glue which holds the Indian community together in Dubai. That is why celebrating 50 years is such a wonderful achievement.
"I want to tell the young people sitting here today that no matter where you end up in life after you finish your final year here, whether that is abroad or in Dubai, never forget the impact the IHS has had on your development. I'm sure many of you will go on to become hugely successful in life, but never forget the sense of giving back to the community or the less fortunate."
During the anniversary ceremony, the school's trustees and governing committee were given awards and certificates for the work they had done in the past half a century. A cheque for Dh50,000 was presented to the paediatric centre and the keys to three computer-equipped classrooms, two of which were funded by Mr Valrani, were handed over to the Zabeel girls' school in Dubai.
The festivities included a specially made cake, and guests were treated to the dance drama Antaryatra - Discovery of the Self, performed as a ballet by some of the school's pupils.
It was also announced that the school's website had been redesigned as part of the celebrations. Officials said the traditions being observed had done the school proud.
"Through the hard work and vision of the school's founding fathers, the Indian community in Dubai has been served amazingly well over the last 50 years," said Dr Abdulla al Karam, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) director general. "I am always lost for words for how I can describe the work done at IHS, because it is so amazing."
The school's work on developing an international curriculum was also praised by Dr al Karam, who described it as an example to schools and education establishments around the world.
"It's not just in education where the Indian High School has led the way," he said. "Because of the school's efforts to raise money for good causes, now hundreds of thousands of children in Africa are getting an education and being fed. This sense of giving back to people less fortunate is one of the most inspiring aspects of the Indian High School's legacy."
The school has become so successful that its board will build a state-of-the-art complex at Dubai Silicon Oasis, which will have a capacity of 3,000 pupils, bringing total enrolment to 13,000. Mr Valrani said the new facility would cost Dh100 million and include a library, science laboratories, indoor sports complex and a business school.
Mr Valrani said the anniversary was based on the work of thousands of people who had sought a common goal.
"To be recognised as the best Indian curriculum school by the Indian government is a truly amazing achievement and that has only been possible due to the hard work and dedication of the administrators, teachers, staff and students," he said. "The KHDA have worked with us through some challenging times and their support cannot be overstated. This is obviously a big moment for the IHS family.
"I offer my congratulations to all of our alumni, parents, staff and students on this day and am confident that the management of the school that has worked so hard to bring the school this far will take it to many higher levels in the years to come."
newsdesk@thenational.ae
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Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
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Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.
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Power: 275hp at 6,600rpm
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Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
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Investment raised: $4 million
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Favourite books: 'Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life' by Jane D. Mathews and ‘The Moment of Lift’ by Melinda Gates
Favourite travel destination: Greece, a blend of ancient history and captivating nature. It always has given me a sense of joy, endless possibilities, positive energy and wonderful people that make you feel at home.
Favourite pastime: travelling and experiencing different cultures across the globe.
Favourite quote: “In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders” - Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook.
Favourite Movie: Mona Lisa Smile
Favourite Author: Kahlil Gibran
Favourite Artist: Meryl Streep
The specs: 2018 Honda City
Price, base: From Dh57,000
Engine: 1.5L, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 118hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 146Nm @ 4,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.8L / 100km
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Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
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In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
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Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
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Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Anne Hathaway, William Jackson Harper
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House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
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Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
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Rating: 5/5
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Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
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Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
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Titan Sports Academy:
Programmes: Judo, wrestling, kick-boxing, muay thai, taekwondo and various summer camps
Location: Inside Abu Dhabi City Golf Club, Al Mushrif, Abu Dhabi, UAE
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
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“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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Date started: March 2016
Founder: Hasib Khan
Based: Dubai
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Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Zayed Sustainability Prize
How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Third Test
Day 3, stumps
India 443-7 (d) & 54-5 (27 ov)
Australia 151
India lead by 346 runs with 5 wickets remaining
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