“The new school will follow international curricula and provide students with a strong basis in science and technology,” said Dr. Mubarak Al-Gharabi, BIIS Group director, here Friday.
Al-Gharabi expressed happiness and thanked his team of Saudi and Asian educationists, who joined hands to set up such a premier institution in Riyadh. “This is a great day for BIIS and a testament to the energy and commitment of the local community, my faculty and well-wishers,” he added.
Spelling out the distinguishing features of BIIS, Director Akhtar H. Siddiqui pointed out that the school building, which underwent all necessary modifications, will have a “hugely positive effect on every aspect of school life, for teachers, children and parents alike.”
The school, he said, is operating under the patronage of Al-Gharabi.
Other office bearers include Amanuallah Khan, chairman of board of directors; Dr. M. Mohammad, principal-designate; and Shazia Akhtar, head mistress.
This is in addition to a highly-trained faculty, a skilled group of support staff and above all extensive infrastructural facilities at the school. BIIS director Siddiqui said that the school building has more than 60 air-conditioned rooms, library, computer lab, science lab, clinic, canteen, prayer room, parking facility and a playground besides activity rooms.
He said that the students seeking admission within next two months will be given “special preferences”.
He pointed out that the BIIS will serve different communities in particular the Asian community. The school is currently admitting students from kindergarten to grade VII with an aim to add senior classes and expand further with an aim to cater to the needs of the huge Asian diaspora of the capital.
According to a conservative estimate, there are about 100,000 Asian students either on the rolls of the Asian schools in the capital city or simply on the schools’ waiting lists for the last several months. Small villa schools, which are now facing closure because of the stringent regulations, are deluged as well, said Siddiqui, adding that some desperate parents even feared they would have to send their children back to their home countries to continue their schooling.
“Hence, I feel that this was the right time to launch BIIS, said the BIIS director. He further pointed out that the school will not compromise with its quality education system.
"We are aiming to have 15 students in each classroom, with the maximum being 20 students in a class," he said. Moreover, the curriculum is academically and intellectually challenging in scope and contents, said Siddiqui The school can aslo boast to have the whole range of facilities including an audio-visual studio with computer, multimedia projector, overhead projector, a DVD player and a range of education tools and electronic gadgets.
Referring to other facilities of the BIIS, he said the school also offers theology courses, music classes and above all coaching facilities for several Joint Entrance Examinations (JEE) conducted in Asian countries particularly in India. A Center for Distance Education has also been set up as an affiliated organization of the BIIS. “Our collaboration with well-known Bharathidasan University of Tiruchirapalli (South India), has paved the way for a more comprehensive and structured system of distance education,” he observed.
