India International School Sharjah Review
The story so far...
India International School was established in 2011 by the PACE Group and now caters to students from KG to Grade 12. The PACE group was set up by Dr. P.A. Ibrahim Haji in 1999 with the P.A.College of Engineering in Mangalore, which opened with 4 branches of Engineering educating 240 students. Today, the total campus strength in Mangalore is about 3500 students.
In 2001, the group opened India International School in Kuwait with the CBSE Indian Curriculum (KG to 12th) and now has a strength of 2500 students. Currently the PACE group operates one other school in the UAE, Gulf Asian English School. The total size of the group, with the colleges and schools in India in addition to the Gulf schools, includes a total number of 1,200 teaching staff, over 500 non-teaching staff and over 20,000 students from 25 nationalities.
India International School Sharjah serves students from KG to Grade 12. Kindergarten students follow the Montessori curriculum and all other grades follow the Indian Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) curriculum.
The school's vision for its students is to be:
"An exclusive school that nurtures the leaders of tomorrow, to empower them excel in this challenging environment by ensuring their holistic development" whilst its mission is "To mould a creative and enthusiastic generation of mental dynamism, inventiveness, personal integrity, social sense and discipline which will keep them [the students] on the path of development. The many faceted activities organized in the school will make the students of India International physically strong, mentally alert, emotionally stable, culturally sound and socially effective".
What about the curriculum?
The Primary Curriculum from Grades 1-5 offers a more structured form of subjects along with optional languages. Arabic is taught from Grade 1 onwards as a compulsory subject as per MOE rules. Value Education [sic] is emphasised through Islamic studies and Moral Science. Apart from English, Maths, Environmental Systems, General Knowledge, Computer Studies and Art and Craft, UAE Social Studies is also included as a subject to be taught at this level.
The curriculum for Middle years students from Grades 6 to 8 includes all of the core subjects from the primary curriculum together with Social Studies which is divided into History, Geography and Civics. Science is taught as three separate subjects - Physics, Chemistry and Biology.
The Secondary curriculum for Grades 9 to 10 follows the requirements of the All India Secondary School Examination or CBSE Board Examination. The same applies to students of Grades 11 and 12 who choose between the Commerce and Science streams for their final CBSE exams.
In addition to academics, IIS Sharjah also offers a comprehensive co-curricular programme and sporting activities through which students "learn to enjoy the thrill of competition, spirit of team work and sense of accomplishment". Various clubs have been formed to encourage and motivate students to participate including English club, Science club, Maths club, Art club, Sports club and Literary club among others. A wide variety of athletic and sporting activities are also offered on the school campus. Coaching camps are conducted for all games.
What about Academic Achievement?
The PACE Group claims to offer a high standard of education with nominal fee structures, which benefit the medium and lower income groups. Unfortunately, neither of the Sharjah-based schools publish any exam results, so it is not possible to determine whether the claims of a high standard are justified.
What about the facilities?
IIS Sharjah stands on a total site of approximately 27,000 sq. mtrs with a built up area of 19,800 sq. mtrs and a playground area of 4,280 sq.mtrs. Details of the facilities are limited but are said to include a library with over 8,000 resources, Smart classrooms with projectors and interactive multimedia boards, 3 outdoor Shaded Areas and 3 Indoor Play Rooms. Outdoor sports facilities include a football pitch, and running track.
The Buzz
The school does have a Web site, but information is limited. The school has an examination for entry - details of which may be found here. KG applicants are involved in an interview process.
Feedback to WhichSchoolAdvisor.com has for the most part been positive, but teacher turnover has been noted as an issue - mostly noted when parents of students are not as happy with the change in actual teacher.
What about the fees?
Fees range between AED 7,000 in KG to AED 10,000 in Grade 12 and are modestly priced for an Indian curriculum school.
This school is in a Best School by parents ranking
India International School Sharjah is a Best of school, a ranking determined by parent surveys on the site. It can be found in the following Best of rankings:
- #147 in Best Schools in the UAE
- #7 in Best Indian Schools in Sharjah
- #16 in Best Schools in Sharjah
- #7 in Best CBSE Schools in Sharjah
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