Dubai Investments Park (DIP), the largest integrated commercial, industrial and residential community in the Middle East, marked the ground-breaking of a new school within the development.

The new British Columbia Canadian School (BCCS), the sixth school within DIP, will be operational by the end of September next year.

The school is being built at a total investment of Dh88 million ($24 million) in partnership with Emirates REIT, the Sharia-compliant regulated real estate investment trust, on a 25,000 sq m area in DIP.

The school, to be constructed in two phases, will include computer labs, indoor pools, sports fields, play grounds and an auditorium covering a total built up area of 17,156 sq m.

The school will offer K-12 Kindergarten, primary and secondary programs within the British Columbia Canadian curriculum. The school will have over 60 classrooms, with a total capacity to accommodate 1,500 students.

The groundbreaking was attended by Mostafa Tawfik, the chairman of BCCS, Karim Mostafa, the vice-chairman of BCCS, Sylvain Vieujot, chief executive of Emirates REIT, Emmanuel Kamarianakis, the Consul General of Canada in the UAE, and other officials from Dubai Investments Park.

Omar Al Mesmar, the general manager of DIP, said: "The British Columbia Canadian School is a significant value-addition to DIP, and part of its strategy to offer additional choices and world-class educational institutions within the community."

"DIP is fast reinforcing its identity as the preferred residential destination and thus a favoured option for both investors and end-users," noted Al Mesmar.

Vieujot expressed delight at partnering with the British Columbia Canadian School and adding it to its portfolio of school developments.

"We have the experience of working with leading contractors and other partners of architects and education specialists and we look forward to delivering a high quality education facility to the growing Dubai Investments Park community," he stated.

Mostafa said the British Columbia Canadian School’s network comprises 46 schools, serving more than 20,000 students across eight different countries and five continents, including China, Columbia, Egypt, France, Japan, Qatar, South Korea and now in the UAE.

"The school in DIP is strategically located and will fully integrate technology, including global classrooms, into its education programs under the supervision of teachers certified from Ministry of Education in Canada," he added.

Over the years, DIP has spent over Dh4 billion ($1.08 billion) in enhancing the infrastructure to international standards, which includes 140-km of internal road network and well-integrated water and electricity systems, the best of educational institutions, hospitals, hotels, retail outlets, supermarkets and other day-to-day necessities and recreational options.-TradeArabia News Service