Al Ittihad Private School — Jumeira (IPS-J) in Dubai boasts generations of loyalty from Emirati families, who represent nearly all its 2,415 students.
The reason? The school, since day one, 23 years ago, remains “deeply committed” to Islamic values, the Arabic language and Emirati heritage, all the while offering an American curriculum. This “balance” has secured the patronage of UAE nationals (who typically attend public schools) since the private school’s founding in 1998.
In an exclusive interview, IPS-J Director-General Dr Connie Weiner told Gulf News this ethos of the school sees Emirati students join from KG and stay on until they graduate from Grade 12, following in the footsteps of their parents. Even the school’s head of Parent Council is an IPS-J graduate.
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The reason? The school, since day one, 23 years ago, remains “deeply committed” to Islamic values, the Arabic language and Emirati heritage, all the while offering an American curriculum. This “balance” has secured the patronage of UAE nationals (who typically attend public schools) since the private school’s founding in 1998.
In an exclusive interview, IPS-J Director-General Dr Connie Weiner told Gulf News this ethos of the school sees Emirati students join from KG and stay on until they graduate from Grade 12, following in the footsteps of their parents. Even the school’s head of Parent Council is an IPS-J graduate.
Read the full story here: https://bit.ly/3wLiSGY
See more videos at https://gulfnews.com/videos
Read more Gulf News stories here: https://bit.ly/2HLJ2km
Subscribe to Gulf News on YouTube and watch more of our videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/GulfNewsTV
#UAEnews #education #Arabic
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NewsTranscript
00:00We have been here for a very, very long time.
00:07So IPS, MAMSA, was the first school opening 40 years ago, and that was the first Emirati
00:12private school in Dubai.
00:14We are the second campus, and we are the flagship school from the five IPS schools that are
00:21two in Abu Dhabi and one in Al Ain.
00:23We have a deep commitment from our parents, because what you see is that our kids stay
00:29with us from KG all the way through grade 12.
00:32So there is that feeling of family and belonging that we have.
00:37So how do we balance that now with the American curriculum, which is a very good question.
00:44Our strong point is that we follow and are deeply committed to the Arabic language, to
00:50the culture, to Islam.
00:53We have a very strong Islamic department and a very strong Arabic department.
00:58But at the same time, we have to make sure that our kids can compete with the other students
01:03internationally, too.
01:04And we have found a very nice balance.
01:08So over the last few years, we have been looking at bringing back, for example, the music department
01:17for our grades in elementary, grades one to three, and slowly but surely expanding.
01:25So we are offering a greater variety to look at the development of the whole child, while
01:31never ever, ever forgetting our students' heritage, which is also reflected in our vision statement.
01:39From that perspective, I think that sets us apart from many other schools, and that also
01:43does help us to attract Emirati families to come and to stay with us, because it's not
01:51something new.
01:52This is something that is us.
01:54This is who we are.