Arada has awarded a contract to start building the first school at Aljada, the AED24 billion megaproject in the heart of New Sharjah. SABIS® International School – Aljada, which is scheduled to open in September 2021, will be a member of the global SABIS® Network, which also includes the International Schools of Choueifat around the world.
The contract to construct the first phase of the school was handed to Al Zamalek General Contracting, an established contractor whose portfolio includes the construction of two other SABIS® Network schools, The International Schools of Choueifat in Umm Al Quwain and Ras Al Khaimah.
Work on the Aljada school has already begun, and construction will be completed in June 2021 in time for the start of the 2021-2022 school year in September. The first phase involves the construction of a kindergarten to Grade 3 (K-3) school. The second and third phases, which will add grade levels every year, will bring the school up to K-12 level with capacity for 4,000 students and will be completed in 2022 and 2023 respectively.
With a total value of AED220 million, the school will be the first of three based at Aljada, and will prepare students for success in both US- and UK-based external exams. It will be located on a 61,000 square metre plot on the south-eastern corner of the project, adjacent to the East Village residential community.
The state-of-the-art campus includes spacious classrooms, science and computer laboratories, and a dedicated SABIS® Integrated Testing and Learning® (ITL®) Hall where students can take computerised exams. The campus will also house a theatre, cafeteria, library and extensive sports facilities, including a semi-Olympic swimming pool, an indoor basketball/tennis court, an outdoor basketball court and a full-size soccer field surrounded by a running track, providing students ample space to play the sports they love. There will be an independent Kindergarten section dedicated to the specific needs of children aged 3 to 5 with their very own indoor swimming pool, multipurpose indoor court, play areas, and a special car track.
SABIS® International School – Aljada will be the second SABIS® Network school in Sharjah, and the fifteenth in the UAE. The history of SABIS® in the UAE, and the Emirate of Sharjah, dates back to 1976, with the opening of The International School of Choueifat – Sharjah, the first SABIS® school to operate outside Lebanon. Today, SABIS® schools educate close to 30,000 students in the UAE, and over 70,000 students around the world. With an active presence in 20 countries on five continents, SABIS® is committed to providing all students with a top-quality, international education that prepares them for success.
HE Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Chairman of Arada, said: “A world-class education is just one of the opportunities that Aljada offers to residents in this transformational community, and our partnership with SABIS® is proof of this. Work is progressing rapidly at a number of different locations on the Aljada site, and this contract award is evidence of our determination to push ahead with all the assets that will be required to deliver a fully integrated destination.
“This school symbolises Arada’s commitment to education, one of Sharjah’s most important sectors. Aljada’s location next to University City ensures that families can offer their children a high-class education right the way through from kindergarten until the time they enter the workforce.”
Located in the fast-growing Muwaileh district in the heart of New Sharjah, Aljada is a 24 million square foot master-planned destination that is set to transform the future of the Emirate. Construction on Aljada began in 2018 and the first homes are scheduled to be handed over to owners before the end of 2020.