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ADEC Begins Historic School Facilities Program With 18 New Schools In 2010 Better Schools For A Better Future |
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Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) today unveiled its school facilities program at the Building Schools Exhibitions and Conference – Middle East and North Africa (BSEC MENA) held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) on 13th and 14th December 2009. BSEC MENA commenced with an opening ceremony led by H.H. Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Court. The school facilities program will see the building of 18 new schools across the Emirate of Abu Dhabi starting in mid-2010. These are the first new schools to be developed under ADEC’s 10 Year Strategic Plan. The schools will include seven Cycle 1 (Grade KG-5) schools, seven combined Cycle 2 and Cycle 3 schools (Grades 6-12), two Cycle 3 schools (Grades 10-12), and two KG-12 schools. The program will provide learning environments of the highest quality that support current teaching methods and new curricula while supporting the population growth of the Emirate. “ADEC’s 10 Year Strategic Plan is a historic transformation of the education system that will deliver educational excellence. Providing students with world class learning environments is a key element of our 10 year plan and is the foundation for achieving excellence,” said H.E. Salem Al Sayeri, Acting Director General of ADEC. “With the best facilities to support them, students will have a greater chance of achieving their learning goals and will be better able to help Abu Dhabi reach its goal of economic diversification and growth. I am delighted that we have Musanada as our partner in delivering better schools for a better future” added H.E. Al Sayeri. Signing the MOU on behalf of Musanada, CEO Mohamed Khalifa Al Fahed Al Mehairi said, “Our government leaders have said that education is one of the government’s top priorities for the Emirate so we see our role in ADEC’s school facilities program as more than just being a service provider. This MOU is a sign of our commitment to the young people of Abu Dhabi and the future of our Emirate.” “What we are doing is creating a new way of learning. Development of analytical skills in our students is a key objective of ADEC’s strategic plan and these new learning communities combined with the other innovative features of our school designs will help bring this initiative to life,” Hamad Al-Daheri, Director of Infrastructure and Facilities at ADEC, said. “In addition, research has proven that a well-designed school building could be a decisive factor on driving student achievement, and retaining quality teachers.” ADEC received more than 27 proposals from firms located around the world, and after careful examination has selected three designs that will serve as the model for future school development in the Emirate. The Planar Model features classrooms arranged along the perimeter of the building, with specialized common spaces, such as labs and music rooms, concentrated in the middle spine. ADEC’s new school designs will be economical, and easy to build and operate. For the first time, sustainability features have been incorporated into school design such as energy efficient air conditioning systems, and water saving devises. Orientations, insulation and shading devises have been carefully planned, and all the electricity required for daily consumption in classrooms will be generated on the school site. Other key features of the new school designs include special attention to maximizing the use of daylight, and maintaining indoor air quality acoustics and thermal comfort to provide students and teachers with a healthy, safe and stimulating work environment. |
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