New IISJ campus to accommodate 20,000

The International Indian School of Jeddah (IISJ), the second largest community school in the Kingdom with more than 12,000 students, will establish a new, full-fledged campus that can accommodate 20,000 students, said its principal, Syed Masood Ahmed.
In an exclusive interview with Arab News, he said providing admission to the growing number of Indian students in the city has become a major issue for IISJ managers. “We hope the new campus will help solve this issue,” he said.
He said the managing committee has begun looking for a big plot for the project.
“We have an ambitious plan of constructing a big campus with all the facilities required by the CBSE and Ministry of Education. It will have facilities for sports and co-curricular activities.”
The school has published advertisements in major newspapers, including Arab News, to acquire a suitable plot. “It need not be close to the present school and may be located within 10 to 15 km of the old premises. We expect that the new premises can accommodate about 18,000 to 20,000 students.”
He said IISJ came under pressure from parents to accommodate their children. “We are concerned with the issue and sympathize with parents. But how can we admit applicants in the absence of enough space,” he said.
The principal said “When we built the present premises for boys in 1994, people asked why we needed such a huge building. We have now three different premises for boys, girls and KG students and still we are falling short of space.”
He said a draw will held on Feb. 22 to select students for 750 LKG seats from more than 2,000 applicants.
Every year, the school receives more than 6,000 applications for different classes.
The school can promise seats only for LKG because students who are promoted from lower classes fill other seats. “We can accommodate new applicants if there are vacancies created by students who have left the school. The number of students taking TCs has declined in recent years as parents are not thinking of sending their children back home,” he pointed out.
The move to establish a big IISJ campus is significant as Saudi authorities have recently asked the school to vacate their girls’ campus. “This is a big issue affecting about 7,000 students and the Indian Embassy and Consulate have taken up the matter with higher Saudi authorities to resolve the issue without affecting our children’s studies.”
Indian parents have applauded the managing committee’s move to establish a big campus. “This is a long-term solution and is the only solution for the admission problem,” said Nasser Chavakkad, general secretary of the Indian School Parents Forum (ISPAF).
He said parents should assist the management to get a suitable plot for the project as early as possible. He proposed the establishment of the new campus on the new Makkah Road, which starts from Buraiman bridge, saying it would help students from Makkah reach the school easily.
The ISPAF official expressed parents’ concern over the threat to vacate the girls’ campus and asked Indian political parties to take up the matter with Crown Prince Salman when he visits New Delhi next week.
“I am sure the crown prince will reciprocate positively to solve the issue on humanitarian grounds and that it will be a great service to the Indian community in Jeddah,” he told Arab News.