RIYADH, 5 January — The board of directors of Pakistan International School in Riyadh (PISR) is working on an ambitious plan to acquire a new campus and to build a huge school building for over 10,000 students, away from the existing location where traffic remains clogged throughout day time. A formal request to make available a plot of land free of cost for the PISR’s new premises has already been sent to Prince Salman, governor of Riyadh, Dr. Shahid Nawaz Malik, chairman of the school board of directors, said yesterday.
The PISR is currently located in Nasseriya district, where it has hired a cluster of buildings to run classes.
Dr. Malik was speaking to newsmen during the opening ceremony of an Eid fair organized by the school. The fair was inaugurated by Etajaz Ahmed, counselor at the Pakistan Embassy.
He said the school authorities are also scouting for local investors to set up the project in case its bid to obtain a donated plot of land ends in failure. He said PISR’s financial reserves is grossly inadequate to execute the project without the involvement of the community.
He said the board has taken corrective measures to improve the academic standard. The board is also planning to introduce training courses for untrained teachers on the school premises itself.
Dr. Malik said the new PISR principal, Prof. Majeed Hussain, has been entrusted with the task to implementing the plans.
Shahzad said the school is currently working on another proposal to launch a career-counseling program for students.
The board said it has distributed SR450,000 in aid among needy students, whose parents could not afford to pay the tuition fees.