Indian business tycoon Dr Ravi Pillai has taken control of the New Millennium School (NMS), in Zinj, with a pledge to invest more than BD2 million ($5.3 million).

He has already announced the addition of a second campus, in Budaiya, and says he plans to turn it into one of the region’s best schools.

’We shall invest more than BD2 million to make it one of the best schools in the Gulf,’ he told our sister publication the Gulf Daily News.

The businessman took over ownership of the school after signing an agreement with former chairman Adel Al Saffar.

NMS is run under the aegis of the Delhi Public School (DPS) Society and affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) in New Delhi.

School representatives, including principal Arun Kumar Sharma, have already met DPS chairman Ashok Chandra in New Delhi and presented papers relating to the transfer of ownership.

Neither side would reveal how much had been paid for the school, but Dr Pillai said the BD2m investment included the cost of taking it over.

He added that the new campus would increase the number of students from 900 to 1,200.

’The facilities at both campuses will be upgraded to international standards,’ he said.

Dr Pillai lives in Bahrain, but is managing director of Saudi-based Nasser Al Hajri Corporation.

He also said new, highly qualified teachers would be recruited from India.

’We shall focus on the overall personality development of children,’ he said.

’Entrance coaching classes will be conducted to help our senior students gain admission at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT).’

Dr Pillai also revealed that an experienced education expert would soon join the school to head the management team.

Admission is now open for kindergarten to grade 11 and application forms are available from 8.30am to 12.30pm at the school office, near Al Ahli Club, Zinj, from Sunday to Thursday.

Dr Pillai, who is the single largest employer of Indians in the Gulf, was presented with the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, the highest honour given to non-resident Indians by the Indian government, in January this year. - TradeArabia News Service