Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) is offering six plots of land in Khalifa City B and Mohamed bin Zayed City for the development of new private schools.
This initiative is part of ADEC’s ongoing commitment to actively increase school capacity in the private sector in order to meet the growing demand for private school places.
ADEC is currently welcoming open bids from interested investors who can demonstrate both a capability and commitment to meeting ADEC’s quality standards, and can demonstrate plans to open schools by August 1, 2013 that will be subject to ADEC inspections.
Students should start schooling in September 2013. Three plots of land will be allocated under a lease arrangement for schools to run the ADEC curriculum, two plots to run English and American education curriculums, and one plot will be awarded for an English-language Philippine curriculum school that graduates students that qualify to pursue higher education in the Philippines.
Each land plot is approximately 18,000 to 22,000 square metres, and will be leased at nominal rates. These schools are to house former villa students at low and affordable fees.
“ADEC research in the private school sector has shown that the demand for school places is expected to grow by 5 percent annually over the next few years,” Director General of ADEC Dr. Mugheer Khamis Al-Khaili said. “In accordance with ADEC’s 10-Year Strategic Plan, it is of highest priority for us to increase both quality and access to private schools in the Emirate.” Educational Advisor to the Director General, Yousif Al Sheryani said: “ADEC has recently undergone its first round of private school inspections, and we will be supporting private schools as they embark on a continuous cycle of self-improvement initiatives. ADEC works closely with private school operators and we are dedicated to providing assistance, support, and incentives to encourage the development of high-quality private schools.” This move follows a recent offer from ADEC to provide land for school operators applying to run low-fee private schools to provide appropriate education offerings for low and middle-income families in Abu Dhabi.
Interested investors can pick up prequalification applications from ADEC’s headquarters in Abu Dhabi from 4th July until 12th July, 2010; these forms must be submitted by 12:00 PM on 15th July 2010 at ADEC headquarters. All applications will be evaluated by a selection committee at ADEC, after which eligible shortlisted firms will have to obtain the tender documents to further process their applications.
