Our children are the adults of the future. They are going to shape their tomorrow when they grow up. To do that properly, they need to have the right skills and knowledge, so they can contribute to our economy in the next few years to come. The first step to giving children the right kind of learning environment and playground for recreation is sending them to a good school. The importance of a good school is unmatched.
A school, according to the
Global Partnership for Education, provides children with a balanced education. A balanced educational experience, in return, helps in promoting a child’s mental and psychological growth. Other than academics, students also learn a diverse array of important survival and life skills, such as teamwork, good manners, unity, sharing, and responsibility, etc.
The Abu Dhabi Indian School located on Muroor Street is one of the Good schools of the United Arab Emirates. Surely, its rating has fluctuated to Acceptable at times, but it has maintained its amazing quality of education all these years. So, we decided to review the Abu Dhabi Indian School to see how good it is and if you should send your children to this school. Our team has spent days trying to fish out as much information about the school as possible. So, buckle up, and let’s review the Indian School in Abu Dhabi:
About the School
Before we dive into what the inspectors have to say about the Abu Dhabi Indian School Muroor, let’s learn a bit more about it and its history:
An Overview
The Abu Dhabi Indian School is located near Muroor in Abu Dhabi and it is a not-for-profit private K-12 school. Founded in 1971, the school had an overall rating of Good by ADEK in 2016. However, in the latest round of inspections done by the ADEK from 2017 to 2018, its rating was reduced to Acceptable. But the school rose once again and improved itself. The hard work done by the school’s management shone through and, as a result, it again got a rating of Good by the ADEK during their 2019 to 2020 inspection round.
The school was built from great names of the past and it has quite a fascinating history. In the beginning, the Abu Dhabi school functioned from the premises of the India Social Centre located in Abu Dhabi. The India Social Centre soon became insufficient for school due to the demand for education in the United Arab Emirates. Looking at the demand, the CEO of Jashanmal Group, Mr. Mohan Jashanmal, approached H.H. Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the late President of UAE, along with other members of the Indian community, residing in the capital, to talk about the possibility of extending the school. Subsequently, H.H. Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan gifted them some land, in Shabia Muroor at the New Airport Road, measuring 175 m x 150 m, to the Indian Ambassador so they could build an educational institution. Dr. B.R. Shetty is the Chairman of the School at the moment and he is a respected and well-known businessman. His NMC Healthcare can also be found listed on the London Stock Exchange.
Student Body
Almost 99.9% of the student body at the Abu Dhabi Indian School Muroor consists of children coming from Indian backgrounds. Less than 1% of the student body comprises other nationalities. Students coming from other countries include Sudan, Kenya, Nepal, France, and the Philippines. Moreover, less than 1% of the student body consists of students who identify as having Special Educational Needs (SEN). The majority of Special Educational Needs students have language difficulties.
More than 4,600 students study at the school in the primary grades (Kindergarten KG to Grade 5), and secondary grades (Grade 6 to Grade12). These many students make the Indian School in Abu Dhabi one of the largest private K-12 schools present in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This amount is lower than what it was two years ago when more than 5,200 students were studying at the school. Moreover, the school segregated the boys and girls after Grade 3 at the secondary levels and the upper primary levels. In order to meet the ever-increasing demand for education in the UAE, Indian School in Abu Dhabi opened its second branch in Al Wathba which is also in Abu Dhabi, in the year 2014. The Al Wathba branch has a capacity of 2,500 students.
Abu Dhabi Indian School timings
Because of the large numbers of students attending the school, the Indian School had to change its timings to deal with the movement of the students. There are separate timings for every class:
- From 8.15 am to 12.30 pm for Kindergarten (KG)
- From 7.15 AM to 2.30 PM for Girls’ classes 3 to 12 and classes 1 to 2
- From 8.15 AM to 3.30 AM for Boys’ classes.
Teacher Body
The school is run by almost 300 teachers who are supported by a group of teaching assistants. The teachers and the teaching assistants work together to ensure the high quality of the day-to-day education of their students. The teachers are also very happy to work at the school as demonstrated by the low staff turnover rate which is only 6%.
The Curriculum of the Abu Dhabi Indian School Muroor
The Abu Dhabi Indian School Muroor is attached to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), India. It offers the complete CBSE curriculum for students belonging to Indian backgrounds. The school is also licensed by the Education and Knowledge Depot (ADEK), Abu Dhabi, and the Ministry of Education’s Abu Dhabi.
Non-academic Activities
Apart from offering an impressive academic program that follows the CBSE curriculum, the Abu Dhabi Indian School also offers its students a diverse array of extracurricular activities and a range of sports. As far as the sports activities are concerned, the list is quite long, including Badminton, Basketball, Cricket, Athletics, and any other sports one can think of. The school holds a lot of Inter-school competitions. Moreover, it also offers non-sports clubs to its students and the list of non-sports clubs is also very diverse ranging from Robotics club to Debating club.
Abu Dhabi Indian School Inspection Report
- According to the most recent inspection report of the school by ADEK report, the students of the school have shown good attainment in Computer Science, English, Physics, Chemistry, and Maths during the CBSE examinations for Grade 10 and 12. The results of Grade 13 in Biology were deemed acceptable. Students of Grade 3 to 10 showed better performance and averages than UAE in Science, Maths, and English in the International Benchmarking Tests (IBT).
- The school showed an Acceptable overall performance. The number of students has decreased since its last inspection by ADEK because of the opening of its other branch in Al Wathba.
- The inspection report by ADEK also reported some key strengths of the school, including students’ social and personal development, their support, care, innovation skills, and protection. The guidance and support were rated Good by the inspection team. The rest of the measures were deemed Acceptable by the inspection team.
- The inspection team rated students’ achievements in Science, Maths, and English across the school as Acceptable. The achievement in Science, Maths, and English was generally Good across the school. However, the inspection report rated students’ achievement in Arabic as Weak. Lastly, their achievement in Social Studies and Islamic Education was rated Acceptable.
- Abu Dhabi Indian School’s celebration of UAE and India’s values and culture was also celebrated. The inspection report noted that the school truly fosters an appreciation of the values and culture of India and the United Arab Emirates. Moreover, it was also reported that the school has a very clear vision and it promoted inclusion. The inspection team also said in the report that the school is progressing and there is sufficient strategic direction and leadership to help the school improve.
- The students of the Abu Dhabi Indian School were also acknowledged as motivated and well-behaved. They have positive attitudes, demonstrate a sense of responsibility for their learning, and enjoy strong relationships with the teachers. Moreover, the report noted that the students show high levels of respect for each other and are very disciplined. Besides, ADEK praised the smooth day-to-day running of the school and its caring ethos, making sure that every student feels safe.
- ADEK’s inspection report found that the assessment techniques and teaching practices enable the students to make good progress in Maths, Science, and English. Plus, the school has also begun to benchmark its students’ outcomes across external expectations. However, it needs to benchmark its students’ achievement across international standards. Students’ learning wasn’t found adequately supported in Hindi and Arabic in terms of effective teaching strategies and provision of appropriate resources. Attainment of students of the Primary phase in Science and Maths also needs improvements.
- ADEK reported some areas for improvement, including that the school needs to raise its standard of Arabic and meet its students’ learning, including high achievers, Gifted & Talented Students (G&T), and students with SEN. The inspection team also noted that even if a counsellor identifies a student with SEN, the teachers do not consider their needs as they learn in the same environment as their peers. Yes, there is sufficient recognition of differing abilities, however, the school’s curriculum is not adapted to offer students with Special Education Needs (SEN) good support. The Abu Dhabi Indian School Muroor’s leadership team also needs to make sure that the school follows a rigorous self-evaluation that enables them to identify achievable and realistic targets for improvement.
Abu Dhabi Indian School vs Other Schools in Abu Dhabi
Here is a concise comparison of the Indian School in Abu Dhabi with Mayoor Private School and Shining Star International School. The Abu Dhabi Indian School is located on Muroor Street, Abu Dhabi, the Mayoor Private School is located on Al Wathba South, Abu Dhabi, and the Shining Star International School is located in Musaffah, Abu Dhabi.
Here is where the Abu Dhabi Indian School Muroor stands when compared with two other schools in Abu Dhabi:
Parameters
| Abu Dhabi Indian School
| Mayoor Private School
| Shining Star International School
|
Year of Origin
| 1975
| 2014
| 2014
|
Grade Range
| KG 1 to GRADE 12
| KG 1 to GRADE 12
| KG 1 to GRADE 12
|
Annual Fee Range
| AED 7,140 to AED 14,454
| AED 17,500 – AED 25,000
| AED 7,900 – AED 15,500
|
Teacher – Student Ratio
| 1:23
| 1:14
| 1:13
|
Level
| All Levels
| All Levels
| All Levels
|
Total Students
| 4654
| 1800
| 1121
|
Students
| Mixed (Co-Educational)
| Mixed (Co-Educational)
| Mixed (Co-Educational)
|
SEN
| Yes
| Yes
| Yes
|
Sibling Discount
| No
| No
| No
|
Principal
| Mr. Neeraj Bhargava
| Ms. Annahita Pagdiwalla
| Ms. Abhilasha Singh
|
Inspection Rating
| Good (ADEK)
| Good (ADEK)
| Acceptable (ADEK)
|
Conclusion
The Abu Dhabi Indian School can be considered a twin of the nation who was birthed in the year 1971. The school was founded in 1971 as well and it started functioning soon after in 1975. It started functioning from the India Social Centre, Abu Dhabi, and ever since that day it has continued catering to the requirements of the needs of children belonging to the Indian community residing in Abu Dhabi.
Abu Dhabi Indian School Muroor has quite impressively maintained a rating of Good (sometimes fluctuating to Acceptable) all these years. At this rate, the future looks promising for the school. So, if you want to send your kid to this school, it might not be a bad decision after all. However, if you want to get more information about other schools other than the Indian School in Abu Dhabi, you can check more of our reviews before you finalize your decision.
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