Dubai school gets Dh1 million facelift, thanks to Pakistani consulate

A 25-year-old Pakistani school in Dubai has received a complete makeover, thanks to the generous Dh1 million funding from the Pakistani Consulate in Dubai.
Located in Al Qusais, His Highness Sheikh Rashid Al Maktoum Pakistani School (SRAMPS) Dubai had no sports facility or smart-interactive gadgets for its students.
When the schools shut down in March due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Pakistani Consulate initiated work on different areas of the school to provide enhanced and safe learning environment for its 1,250 students.
On Monday, Pakistani Consul-General Ahmad Amjad Ali inaugurated the fully-equipped recreational areas of the school in the presence of the school principal Aisha Nasim and other school and embassy staff.
Pleased with the new upgraded look of the school, Amjad Ali told Khaleej Times: "We are glad we were able to bring smiles on the faces of students of SRAMPS by building a much-needed multi-purpose playground that can also be used as a football and hockey field, cricket pitch, basketball and volleyball courts. Apart from this, we have also upgraded the school buildings by renovating the classrooms and corridors with new furniture, smart interactive boards and high-tech multi-media gadgets. I am glad that the school has managed to implement all 118 standard operations procedures laid down by the KHDA and the local authorities."
Explaining how and when the renovation was done, school principal Aisha Nasim said: "When the Covid-19 pandemic struck, we decided to use the time to upgrade our school and renovated in three months. While schools in our vicinity reopened on September 6, we reopened two weeks back with all our 80 teachers coming in and understanding the new safety protocols and procedures to keep our students safe to avoid the spread of Covid-19."
Calling it a "costly affair", Nasim said: "We are grateful to the consulate for giving our children an enhanced and comfortable environment that will help them learn better. We have installed smart boards in all classrooms so teachers can teach students on-site as well as those at home simultaneously.
"Putting up posters/stickers, reminding students to maintain 2-metre distance at all times, installing thermal screens at entrance and exit of the school, placing hand sanitisers across the school and introducing vending machines, the school has not left any stone unturned keeping in mind the student and staff safety.
"The Pakistani consulate has helped us in seeing to it that we had all our safety procedures in place as we welcomed our students. Even the teachers training - of a total of 80 teachers - was funded by the Pakistani consulate," she added.
The school that has 1,250 students from KG to higher secondary levels with 500 students coming to the school physically. "We have divided the students into two groups - each comprising 250 students - that come on alternate days. Therefore, following all Covid-related safety procedures we see 250 students on the school premises daily, while the rest have enrolled in distance learning."
Nasim added that they will launch an indoor multipurpose hall in the next four months.
saman@khaleejtimes.com