Over 3,000 applicants for 130 school seats
ABU DHABI INDIAN SCHOOL HOLDS LOTTERY FOR KG 1, GRADE 1 SEATS
More than 3,000 children yesterday took part in a lottery draw for 130 school seats for kindergarten 1 (KG 1) and grade 1 at the Abu Dhabi Indian School, the most soughtafter Indian curriculum institution in the capital.
The rush for the seats in large part is due to the school’s affordable tuition fees and its location. While the emirate has seen several Indian schools opened in recent years, parents attending the admissions draw said those institutions are expensive and are located far away on the outskirts of the city.
“I registered my child in this draw because the school’s tuition fees are affordable, the standards of education are also good and the location is ideal,” said Zia Ul Huque after his threeyear-old daughter was given admission to KG 1.
More than 3,000 parents showed up at the Abu Dhabi Indian School (Adis) yesterday hoping their child would be one of the lucky ones to get admission to kindergarten 1 (KG 1) and grade 1 with only 130 seats available.
School authorities did not confirm the exact number of parents registered to take part in the lottery, but according to parents who attended the number was around 4,000, with at least 3,000 turning up for the KG 1 draw and close to 1,000 registered for the grade 1 draw.
As in previous years, the limited number of seats made available was no match for the high demand thanks to affordable fees, the school’s location and the quality of its education which is based on the Indian curriculum system.
While several new Indian schools have opened in Abu Dhabi in recent years, Indian parents say high tuition fees and distant locations make them less appealing compared to Adis.
“I registered my child in this draw because the school’s tuition fees are affordable, the standards of education are also good and the location is ideal,” said Zia Ul Huque after his three-year-old daughter gained admission to KG 1.
Mohammad Naseem, who also attended the draw, was thrilled when his daughter was selected for admission to KG 1. “I work inside Abu Dhabi city and it would have been really difficult if I had to send my daughter to a school that was far away.”
Rahul Nair was another happy parent after his daughter won admission to KG 1. “I wasn’t so confident when I arrived because there were so many other parents, but my daughter told me that we would get the seat and so she was right! Like many other parents, I registered to take part in the admissions draw because the school tuition fees are very affordable. It’s not just the fees, the school has a long history and is well established with a good infrastructure,” Nair said.
Gimsy Matthew, an Indian mother who registered her son for KG 1, was among the parents who were not so lucky. “It didn’t work out, we will try with some other schools but this was our first choice,” she said.
“A lot of the other schools have very high fees and we have our limitations on how much we can spend. Also, those schools are located far outside the city,” she added.