Gulf Indian High School

Established more than four decades ago in 1979, Gulf Indian High School (GIHS) follows the CBSE (Indian) curriculum. Conveniently located in Al Garhoud, GIHS offers classes from Kindergarten 1 to Grade 12.

The school has responsible students, supportive parents and community members. The dedicated staff works closely with the top leadership of the school to create a productive learning environment for students. GIHS believes in safety, innovation, happiness and positivity.

Gulf Indian High School Dubai has a firm reputation for providing practical and effective academic programs for students. It ensures that the students become responsible global citizens, lifelong learners and innovative leaders. Currently, it has 2,092 students and 142 teachers.

• Location: Al Garhoud
• School fees: AED 4,498 - AED 8,506
• Curriculum: CBSE
• Co-ed or segregate: Segregate
• KHDA rating: Good
• Years Offered: KG 1 - Grade 12

Many residential communities are in proximity to Gulf Indian High School Dubai. Some popular ones are:

• Al Qusais
• Al Twar
• Dubai Festival City
• Marsa Al Khor
• Umm Ramool

Al Qusais, one of the oldest districts in the city is near the school. People residing in Al Twar, Umm Ramool and Marsa Al Khor can also commute to the school easily. Those looking to live near Gulf Indian High School can consider:

• Apartments for rent near Gulf Indian High School
• Villas for rent near Gulf Indian High School

The school campus ensures the well-rounded development of students of all ages. The well-built campus in Al Garhoud consists of a modern building and has an energy-saving plan in line with the Green Vision of Dubai.

The campus is perfectly well-maintained and has expansive green areas. To facilitate students with sports activities, there is a large playground for volleyball and other games. The school campus has state-of-the-art laboratories for physics, biology and computer. The classrooms have interactive whiteboards and are centrally air-conditioned.

There is a library in addition to a canteen, a bookstore, an activity room and a prayer room.

Gulf Indian High School campus is located on 5th street in Al Garhoud. It is 10 minutes away from the residential communities of Al Twar and Al Qusais. The school is a few minutes away from Sheikh Zayed Road (E11) that connects it with several residential communities. Dubai International Airport and Marsa Al Khor are also close to the school.

Gulf Indian High School’s mission is to enhance the learning skills of students in the global context. It is popular for providing affordable and quality education.

The school is known to groom ‘citizens of tomorrow’ by implementing an integrated education model throughout all the sections. It helps in developing physical, academic, emotional and social competencies in young individuals.

The primary vision of GIHS Dubai is to offer affordable education without compromising on quality. The school is working hard to create an excellent and conducive learning environment.

Gulf Indian High School Dubai prepares students for All India Secondary School Examination (Grade 10) followed by Continuous Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) and Senior School Certification Examination (Grade 12).

The school offers education from KG 1 until Grade 12. The grades are divided into three phases:

GIHS is affiliated with Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), New Delhi, India and follows the CBSE curriculum.

Senior Secondary School students can choose between Science and Commerce streams. Both the fields are designed as per the CBSE format. Arabic is a compulsory subject from Grade 1 to Grade 10. English is the medium of instruction and second language options include Hindi, Urdu, French, Bengali, Malayalam and Tamil. Islamic Education is part of the curriculum for Muslim students and Non-Muslim students have to study Moral Science.

CCE is divided into two parts: Scholastic and Co-Scholastic areas. The academic year has two terms and each term ends on two formative and one summative assessment. The grading scale is based on direct grading of nine points. KG and Prep-school also have a two-term system.

According to the KHDA report, the curriculum focuses on delivering knowledge and is based on textbooks.

To oversee the quality of education in Dubai, the government of the UAE established the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA). KHDA not only aims to improve the quality of education offered by the educational institutes in Dubai, but also ensures the continuous development of the education sector. It inspects and rates schools annually based on a 6-point scale: outstanding, very good, good, acceptable, weak and very weak.

Gulf Indian High School’s KHDA rating for 2023-2024 ‘Good’.

The academic year at Gulf Indian High School starts in the first week of April and ends in the second week of March. 

• The first term starts in the first week of April and ends in the first week of July. Students then go on a summer break that ends in the fourth week of August.
• The second term starts in the last week of August and ends in the second week of December. This is followed by a winter break that lasts till the last week of December.
• Classes resume right after the end of winter break and last till the second week of March.

For more information, contact the school.

Gulf Indian High School's admission process starts from October. For online registration, applicants should visit the school’s official website. The applicant must have a valid UAE residence visa. Age should be considered before admission as underage children shall not be admitted as per the KHDA.

Students coming from unrecognised schools and institutions are not granted admission. Candidates for KG 2 and classes above have to undergo a performance test during the assessment session and the admission is subject to the availability of seats.

For admission in KG 1, a candidate’s performance is evaluated during an assessment session to ascertain his/her basic skills such as independence, physical development and speech. This assures the student’s ability to attend pre-school.

Registration fee is AED 500 and it is non-transferable and non-refundable. Underage children shall not be admitted as per KHDA instructions. Provisional admission is also granted for Grade XI applicants.

Below are the mandatory documents for admission:

• Duly filled admission form
• Photocopy of student’s passport including valid UAE visa. Students must check their UAE visa status before applying for admission.
• Two recent photographs of the student
• Photocopy of student’s birth certificate in Arabic or English
• Photocopy of vaccination or immunisation card
• Two photocopies of Emirates ID Card of both sponsor and student
• Photocopy of the mark sheet or progress report from the previous school
• Original and attested school leaving certificate

Students who come from abroad must have their original Transfer Certificate or School Leaving Certificate in English. It should also be duly attested by the Ministry of Education or the Education Bureau of the country, respective UAE consulate and UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

All mandatory documents should be submitted to the school within 20 days after the admission is confirmed.

Students with moderate to severe learning disabilities are also admitted under an inclusive education system. The guidelines for SEND students are available on the official website. Students of Determination (SOD) get equal opportunities as the school follows Dubai Law No. 2 (2014) and Dubai Inclusive Education Policy Framework to facilitate SOD.

During the application process for admissions under SOD, parents are required to provide complete information. Admission team also reviews previous school or nursery. Parents are also invited for an interview if necessary. Medical history and related documents are also sometimes required to assure that students need potential learning support.

These age-requirement guidelines are followed at the school.

This is based on the age of the students on 31st March (for schools beginning in April).

* This is to cater to students transferring from systems that admit students of a younger age)

Following are the current annual tuition fee for Gulf Indian High School Dubai:

Tuition fee has to be paid in 10 instalments during the academic year and can also be paid in advance. Payments for July and August are not collected. Students are not allowed to appear for the examination if the fee isn’t paid. All school reports are also withheld if dues are not cleared. Gulf Indian High School fee can be paid online or at the school fee counter through cheque, credit card or cash. Post-dated cheques are not accepted.

Additional charges for mandatory and optional services can be seen below:

The other charges are based on the info available in KHDA’s fee fact sheet.

GIHS Al Garhoud has a canteen where students can have lunch. Students can purchase sandwiches, chips, juice and water from the canteen.

Gulf Indian High School has a well-maintained fleet of air-conditioned buses. The school transportation strictly follows the regulations and specifications of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) and the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). All the buses are managed by experienced and well-trained drivers and supporting staff. All buses are monitored periodically to assure safety. Staff members have a strong reporting structure to make sure all vehicles are safe for students.

Transport fees should be paid for 10 months (not applicable for July and August).

Sports are an integral part of the school routine and GIHS encourages students to take part in more than one sport. Special time and periods are allocated for P.T and other games. There is also a large, well-equipped playground for outdoor playtime.

The playground can be used for volleyball, football, badminton, basketball and cricket. Coaching facility is also available for different games after school timings and on Saturdays. GIHS sports team also participates in inter-school and zonal matches and has won several sports prizes at the city, inter-emirates and national level. The school volleyball team includes both boys and girls and has been recognised as “the best team in the UAE”.

Students can also participate in intellectually stimulating games such as chess and carrom. They can also sign for a special coaching session during school hours by Physical Education teachers.

School plays a vital role in a student’s life by helping them discover lifelong interests and aptitude as they are vital for self-expression and personality development. Activities offered to students are divided into two categories.

Gulf Indian High School Dubai has many clubs that students can join. There are different meticulously designed activities for students in each club. Students can choose from the literary club, Arabic club, STEAM club, Mathematics club, eco club and Science club. All activities are scheduled for school hours on Thursdays and Saturdays. Awards are also given to the best performing clubs.

GIHS also makes sure students participate in various inter-school competitions and cultural fests in the UAE. Students can take part in community activities that involve sustainable development, energy conservation, recycling campaigns, healthy eating habits campaign, fire drill, charity work, go green, health and hygiene campaign, sports and fitness programs.

Field trips are a valuable learning experience and GIHS organises field trips to make students more confident and socially active. Field trips at Gulf Indian High School Dubai are planned for sports and extracurricular activities.

The school organises two types of field trips including day trip during school hours and day trips that involve leaving the school premises outside school hours. Field trip leaders are allocated for each trip.

International field trips are also planned by the school that are not mandatory for students. During these trips, GIHS ensures students who are travelling have necessary travel insurance. Students’ religious and cultural requirements (including diet, prayer timing) are taken care of by the field-trip supervisor. A detailed communication and trip itinerary are sent to the parents and students can only go on the trip with parents’ approval.

Currently, the only after-school care available is the two-shift program for boys and girls. The girls’ shift starts from 07:30 am and ends at 12:30 pm and the boys’ shift starts from 01: 00 pm and continues until 06:00 pm.

There is a well-equipped clinic with two experienced doctors and two full-time nurses. The school clinic caters to the healthcare needs of students and monitors their vaccination as well. GIHS Dubai clinic also takes proactive and important measures to educate children about common illnesses.

The school doctor and nurses are responsible for administering first aid. They also carry out weekly checks on the first-aid contents and replenish the supplies.

Keeping parents informed about their child’s progress is important. Parents are kept well-informed about their child’s progress and events of the school via Whatsapp groups.

Parents can also keep themselves notified through the parent-portal by logging in on the official website of the school.

• Phone: +971-4-282-4455
• Email: gihs@gihsdubai.com
• Website Gulf Indian High School
• Facebook Gulf Indian High School
• Twitter Gulf Indian High School

Please Note that the cover image belongs to Gulf Indian High School.

What are the timings of your school?'

• KG (first batch): 07:45 am to 10:30 am
• KG (second batch): 10:30 am to 12:50 pm
• Grade 1 - Grade 12: 07:75 am to 12:50 pm

Do you conduct after-school activities?

Gulf Indian High School offers after-school activities to boys until 06:00 pm.

How many grades/years are there in your school?

The school offers education from KG 1 until Grade 12.

Does your school follow a co-education model?

No, boys and girls are taught separately.

How many students are currently studying in your school?

There are currently 2,092 students enrolled in the the school.

Do you have any special education programmes or learning plans for students of determination?

As per the school's admission policy, learning programs are offered to students of determination. 

Can you please describe the academic calendar of your school?

The academic calendar runs from April to March of the next year.

Can you please mention the range of the tuition fee charged by your school?

The school's annual tuition fee ranges from AED 4,498 to AED 8,506.

How do you communicate with parents?

There are different options for parents to connect with teachers and vice versa. Some of these options include a parent portal, parent-teacher meetings, school events and Gulf Indian High School social media pages.

Do you have a cafeteria or a canteen on campus?

Students can buy refreshment and snacks from the canteen available on campus.

How often does your school arrange field trips?

Gulf Indian High School Al Garhoud arranges field trips for students round the year.

How many teachers are currently teaching in your school?

Currently, there are 142 teachers and 9 teaching assistants employed by the school.