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US curriculum school to open next month

DUBAI - Dubai gears up to host another international school, the Dubai Model Scientific School (DMSS), located in Al Quoz, which will formally commence classes on September 9.

The new school follows the American curriculum and teaching methodology with classes from Kindergarten to grade 12. In addition, the school will offer preparatory classes for TOEFL and SAT examinations and internationally-recognised computer certificates for intermediate students.

Speaking to reporters, Hikmat Al Haj, the school's deputy chairperson who was receiving students and their parents for registration and admissions yesterday, said DMSS focuses on making teaching a learning experience for all its students. "Located on a 100,000 sq.feet area, the school aims at having small classrooms with not more than 16 students per class to give the much-needed individual attention to the students."

"We do not wish to be a 'run-of-the-mill' school where only good students are encouraged to study and emerge as achievers. At DMSS, weak students will also receive individual attention in order to help develop their academic skills and become achievers in lives and enable them integrate better in the community."

Along with practical skills, the school curriculum incorporates technology including internationally-recognised computer certificates for intermediate students.

The school will also prepare students for the TOEFL and SAT examinations, said Al Haj, explaining that DMSS is the first international curriculum school in the UAE which will help prepare portfolios of students after they graduate from school.

Explaining why she decided to start an American curriculum school in Dubai, Al Haj, who is also a mother of two children, said the trend was shifting globally towards American curriculum schools which offers new and stimulating ways of acquiring knowledge with an emphasis on learning through doing.

"The school can accommodate upto 1,300 students, but at present we are aiming to receive only 40 per cent of our total student capacity to begin with," said Al Haj.

The school is equipped with 36 state-of-the-art classrooms, two science laboratories, two computer laboratories, a library, a swimming pool, an1800-seat auditorium, and a playing field among other indoor and outdoor sport facilities. Although an international curriculum school, emphasis on local culture and behaviour and Islamic principles and Arabic language is a major concern of the school. As a result, the school will be segregated for boys and girls from grade four.

The school is open to all nationalities and the fee structure is affordable to the middle income segment of the society, said Al Haj, disclosing the fees will range from Dh 8,000 to Dh 14,000 a year.