Our Own English High School, Sharjah (UAE)
The third primary-secondary school promoted by the Dubai-based GEMS which manages 65 schools in eight countries, OOEHS recently celebrated its silver jubilee with pomp and pageantry On December 5, 2007, Our Own English High School (OOEHS) — one of the first rimary-cum-secondary schools for children of Indian migrants in Sharjah — celebrated its silver jubilee with pomp and pageantry. The school’s Silver Jubilee Grand Finale was the culmination of a series of events, concerts and contests which included a biennial exhibition, an inter-school extempore speech competition, an inter-school essay contest, several cultural shows and release of a documentary film (Lead Kindly Light) on the history of this institution — the first Varkey Group school in Sharjah (pop.750,000).OOEHS, Sharjah (estb. 1982) was the third primary-secondary promoted by the Dubai-based Varkey Group of schools (rechristened Global Education Management Systems (GEMS) in 1998), which during the past four decades has grown into Asia’s largest transnational private school chain, managing 65 schools in eight countries including the United Kingdom, Germany, UAE, Qatar, Libya, Kuwait, Jordan and India with an aggregate enrollment of 70,000 students.
OOEHS and Varkey Group/GEMS are the myriad flowers of a seed planted by banker turned educationist K.S. Varkey and his wife Mariamma, promoters of primary schools mainly for children of the Indian diaspora who flocked to the United Arab Emirates in the wake of the explosion of crude oil prices between 1973-79, to build the infrastructure of the seven UAE sheikhdoms. In September 1968, the Varkeys promoted the first OOEHS, Dubai with an initial complement of 21 students and four teachers. Subseq-uently several other primary-cum-secondaries were promoted in Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Fujairah, and Al Ain under the visionary leadership of Sunny Varkey, incumbent chairman of GEMS.
Spread across seven acres OOEHS, Sharjah is a kindergarten-Plus Two day school with an aggregate enrollment of 11,000 students instructed by 450 teachers, and prepares students for the school leaving class X and XII examinations of the Delhi-based Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), which has over 9,000 primary-cum-secondaries across India and other parts of the world affiliated with it. In 2007, of the 213 OOEHS, Sharjah students who wrote CBSE’s class X examination, 93.4 percent passed in the first division. Students who wrote the class XII exam (2007) went one better. Of the 139 who wrote the examination, 98.5 percent passed in the first division.
"During the past quarter century, OOEHS, Sharjah has satisfactorily achieved its objective of providing quality education at affordable fees to the growing expat, particularly Indian, community in Sharjah and the neighbouring emirates. While 95 percent of our 11,000 student body is of Indian origin, we also have students from other Asian countries such as Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan on our rolls. Our academic results are excellent and OOEHS, Sharjah students are regularly admitted into prestigious institutions of higher education including the IITs in India, Oxford, Cambridge, Columbia and Boston universities," says Dr. Farooq Ahmad Wasil, principal of OOEHS, Sharjah since 1993. An alumnus of Kashmir and Jawaharlal Nehru (Delhi) universities, Wasil boasts over 25 years of experience in the field of education and was honoured by former President A.P.J Abdul Kalam with the best teacher award in 2005.As a constituent unit of the professionally managed GEMS, which specialises in delivering international standard private school education, OOEHS, Sharjah’s expansion has been generously funded by GEMS. Last year the school, which was operating two shifts for boys and girls separately, inaugurated a separate boys’ campus on a four acre plot in Sharjah. While the main seven acre campus houses 7,500 students, the boys’ campus has an enrollment of more than 3,000 students.
Inevitably, both campuses are equipped with superior infrastructure. The school library houses 25,000 volumes and also provides access to electronic databases including CD-ROMs and audio tapes. Other facilities include a multi- purpose auditorium, state-of-the-art computer labs with more than 175 terminals, audio-visual rooms, kindergarten activity rooms, 14 SMART boards, and 18 mobile trolleys, each consisting of a computer and LCD projector.
Sports and games are also given full institutional attention with the school offering play and coaching facilities for cricket, basketball, football, hockey, volleyball, badminton, and table tennis. Children are ferried to and fro by a fleet of 87 air-conditioned buses in Sharjah, Dubai and the neighbouring emirates of Ajman and Um-al-Quwain. By way of co-curricular education OOEHS, Sharjah offers students opportunities to participate in activities ranging from calligraphy, debating, painting, dance, roller skating, drama to photography and web design.
Despite being an Indian school delivering the secular curriculum of the Delhi-based CBSE in Islamic UAE, the OOEHS management claims it receives full support and encouragement from the local governments. "The ministry of education is very supportive of our mission to provide quality school education for all. We are grateful for their help and encouragement," says Wasil.
With the school marking its silver jubilee last month, OOEHS, Sharjah is striving on to strengthen its position as UAE’s most preferred secondary for students from the subcontinent. On the drawing board is an ambitious plan to set up a model primary school campus in Sharjah, and to develop a highly sophisticated IT-driven curriculum. "We also want to contribute to strengthening the teacher development programmes offered by Centre for Advancement of Teacher Education, a division of GEMS. Several high quality CPD (continuous professional development) programmes are in the offing. In whatever we do, we are driven by GEMS’ four core educational values: world citizenship, universal values, leadership qualities and forward thinking," says Wasil.
Twenty five years down the road, OOEHS Sharjah has attained a benchmark and reputation in education that most schools take decades to achieve. And its growth and expansion story is far from over.
Admission and fees Our Own English High School (OOEHS) is a kindergarten-Plus Two school in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. It is affiliated to the Delhi-based Central Board of Secondary Education and offers its class X and XII examinations. Over 95 percent of OOEHS’ 11,000 students are of Indian origin. This day school follows an open admissions policy.Tuition fees (per month) range between 310 Dirhams (Rs.3,317) to 670 Dirhams (Rs.7,169) For further information contact the Principal, Our Own English High School, PO Box 2676, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Tel: +971 6538 64 86/ Fax: +971 6538 6657; e-mail: ourownsj@emirates.net.ae; website: www.gemsoo-sharjah.com. |
Summiya Yasmeen
Edith Cowan University, Australia
Sited in the coastal city of Perth in Western Australia, Edith Cowan University (ECU) has acquired a global reputation for its study programmes which strike a near optimal balance between practical knowledge and academic excellence. Less than two decades ago in 1991, several teacher training colleges — some with histories dating back to 1902 — were amalgamated to constitute ECU. Since then this university named after Australia’s first woman member of parliament offers more than 300 study programmes. Designed in collaboration with industry and professional education certification boards, ECU’s study programmes are linked with real workplace experience as students are encouraged to undertake industry focused project work and internships. Recently ECU won two prestigious Carrick Awards for teaching in the humanities, the arts and social sciences.
ECU degrees are recognised nationally and internationally by several academic accreditation bodies, professional and vocational groups. The university is a member of the National Unified System of Australian Universities, the Association of Commonwealth Universities and Australian Vice-Chancellors Committee. Universities throughout the world recognise ECU programmes for academic and faculty exchange purposes. "Our award-winning lecturers, tailor-made courses, new facilities and use of latest technologies enable us to provide world-class education. Our courses are innovative, relevant and practical," says Prof. Kerry O. Cox, vice-chancellor.
Spread across three campuses in Perth, ECU is Western Australia’s second largest university with an aggregate enrollment of 23,000 students, including over 3,000 from more than 80 countries around the world. Moreover ECU is the first Australian university to form an educational alliance with the global technology giant IBM, which facilitates students’ access to the latest and best information technology. The IBM partnership also facilitates ECU access to world-class research from IBM in the key areas of curriculum design and academic development.
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erth. The capital of Western Australia, Perth (pop. 1.3 million) is the sixth continent’s gateway to major cities in Asia, Africa and Europe. As such Perth offers extensive international air links and sophisticated telecommunications. Scenically sited on the Swan River between the Indian Ocean and the Darling Range of mountains and boasting a strong economy with low levels of unemployment, and low crime rates compared to other cities in Oz, Perth offers hundreds of restaurants and cafes, parks, cinemas, nightclubs, and music venues as well as great shopping.
Moreover with its Mediterranean climate of hot dry summers and mild winters, this coastal city is perfect for sporting and leisure activities — everything from tennis to golf, to whale watching and sailing.
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ampus facilities. ECU is spread across three campuses in Perth and one in Bunbury. The university’s main campus is Joondalup, near Perth’s major freeway. The Joondalup campus boasts state-of-the-art facilities including the Science and Health Building, a multi-million dollar recreation centre and an outdoor cinema during the summer months. This ECU campus is part of the Joondalup Learning Precinct — the only known educational facility in the world incorporating a university, police academy and technical and further education college. The precinct is constituted by the three co-located education campuses of Edith Cowan University, West Coast TAFE and the Western Australia Police Academy.
Only minutes away from Perth’s central business district is ECU’s Mount Lawley campus. Home to the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, one of Australia’s most successful arts training institutions, Mount Lawley is equipped with exten-sive teaching resources, first-rate study facilities, a new gym and sports centre.
ECU’s third campus — Churchlands — is being redeveloped into a premier residential estate. Over the remainder of 2008, availability of courses at Churchlands will decrease as programmes move to Joondalup and Mount Lawley.
A two-hour drive south of Perth and in Western Australian’s second largest city is ECU’s South West (Bunbury) campus, offering modern facilities, small class sizes, a comprehensive range of courses and on-campus residential accommodation.
Each ECU campus is equipped with a well-stocked library offering book and journal collections, electronic databases, e-journals, videos, computer files and multimedia packages as well as facilities for study and research. Moreover the Joondalup and Mount Lawley campuses offer contemporary sport and recreational centres. Other on-campus facilities include coffee shops, cafeterias, travens, ATMs, bookshops and childcare centres.
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dmission. The minimum eligibility criterion for admission into Edith Cowan’s undergrad programmes is a first class Plus Two (class XII) certification, while for entry into postgrad degree courses, it’s a first class bachelor’s degree. Foreign students have to submit an IELTS test score of 6 or TOEFL score of 550. Completed application forms must include certified copies of previous academic results and evidence of English language proficiency. The last date for submission of applications is May 31 for the academic year beginning July. Students can also apply online at www.ecu.edu.au/international.
For further information contact ECU International, Edith Cowan University, Pearson Street, Churchlands, Western Australia, 6018. Tel: (61 8) 9273 8499; Fax: (61 8) 9273 8732; email: iso@ecu.edu.au; website: www.ecu.edu.au.
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ccommodation. ECU offers a variety of residential accommodation options on the Mount Lawley, Joondalup and South West (Bunbury) campuses. Each student village provides accommodation in self-catering units comprising six single bedrooms, two bathrooms, a lounge room and a communal kitchen. All rooms have data ports for telephone and internet access.
Students wishing to live off campus also have a wide choice of private accommodation including flats, houses and home stay.
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egree programmes. Edith Cowan offers over 300 full-time undergrad and postgrad degrees across the faculties of business and law; computing, health and science; education and arts; regional and professional studies (see box). Moreover ECU offers its degrees offshore through academic affiliations with several institutions of higher education abroad. For instance in India, the Bangalore Management Academy offers ECU’s MBA programme to 350 students enrolled in its campus in Bangalore. Scholastic options at Edith Cowan Edith Cowan offers over 300 undergrad and postgrad programmes across four faculties. They include: Faculty of Business and Law: Schools of accounting, finance and economics; law and justice; management; marketing, tourism and leisure (tuition fees per year: AUS$ 8,400) Faculty of Computing, Health and Science: Schools of computer and information science; engineering and mathematics; exercise, biomedical and health sciences; natural sciences; nursing, midwifery and postgraduate medicine, psychology (AUS$ 7,800-9,275) Faculty of Education and Arts: Kurongkurl Katitjin (school of indigenous studies); communications and contemporary arts; education; international, cultural and community studies; Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (AUS$ 7,240-9,300) Faculty of Regional Professional Studies: Accounting, computer technology; surf science and technology; social work (AUS$ 8,200-9,120) For a detailed list of degree programmes visit www.ecu.edu.au Living expenses: AUS$ 280-300 per week NB AUS$=Rs.33 NB: £=Rs.80 |
Summiya Yasmeen