United Group to launch Singapore International School

To offer week boarding for the first time at its Uvarsad campus in Gujarat

Offering the concept of week boarding for the first time in Gujarat, Ahmedabad-based United Group is set to launch the Singapore International School by July-August 2016. To come up in an area of over 100,000 sq ft at the group's Uvarsad campus, the Singapore International School will see an investment of Rs 30 crore by United Group.

Once operational, Gujarat will be the second Indian states to have internationally renowned Singapore International School with the first one being already marked its presence as an elite school of Mumbai, Maharashtra. Not only that, the state will also see inception of a boarding and day school having a unique concept of week boarding, wherein the students are allowed to stay at home at the weekend. The school will be offering primary, secondary and higher-secondary education based on the IB curriculum.

"There is a big gap between demand & supply in education. Setting up of Singapore International School in Gujarat is our pioneering effort to bridge this gap. Its establishment is in line with the government's aim of making India an educational centre of excellence to serve Indians as well as students from around the world. We are hopeful that this will contribute significantly in improving the way the entire education system in the state works," said Ritesh Hada, Managing Director, United Group.

Singapore International School offers a global education in a unique curricular mix. Upper Division students (Grades 11 and 12) work toward the International Baccalaureate Diploma; Middle Division studies (Grades 7 through 10) are geared to the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) exams. At the primary level K1 to G6, school follows PYP programme of IB, modeled on Singapore educational system, in addition to Reggio Emilia approach.

The newly-launched school will be equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure and backed by an international recognized curriculum. The faculty will comprise of experienced teachers with excellent track record across the world. The school will encourage students to dabble in a variety of activities that leads to all-round development and a healthy and open attitude. It will have core focus on grooming the students as responsible global citizens, while retaining the Indian ethos.

However, Hada said that the school will have a maximum capacity of 400 students. Talking about fee structure, Hada said that while the Mumbai campus charges fees of Rs 12 lakh per annum for senior classes and Rs 3-3.5 lakhs per annum for junior classes, the Ahmedabad campus may charge less than half of that.

According to United Group, the curriculum used in Singapore International School is similar to that of schools in Singapore. It focuses on the student. Learning is made fun and effective through various innovative methodologies designed to engage the student actively. With a very good teacher-student ratio of 1: 10 and excellent programs, students can expect learning to be both enjoyable and meaningful at SIS.

Meanwhile, one of the special features of the school is the offer of a comprehensive programme consisting of two levels - the first level leading to the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE), and the second level of two years for the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP). The combination of IGCSE and IBDP makes Singapore International School unique.