Russian International School, Dubai

The only school in the UAE that follows the Russian education programme, Russian International School Dubai strictly implements the policies laid down by the Russian Federation. The private school is a co-educational institute with the majority of students belonging to Russia as well as other eastern European countries such as Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, the Republic of Belarus, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Lithuania. The school provides equal learning opportunities to students at each educational level.

Russian International School Dubai progressively works on the personal development of each student while making it possible for them to keep their national and cultural identity intact. The school’s priority is to provide quality education by meeting the current and future educational needs of students. They follow a three-point agenda:

• Introducing modern educational programs and technology
• Personality and intellect development so students can play vital roles as responsible members of the civil society
• Maintaining and improving students’ health

The school was established in 1996 as the first Russian school in the United Arab Emirates. Thousands of students have graduated from the prestigious school and have made their mark as productive members of society.

Russian School Dubai aims to provide a healthy learning experience to students while preserving the national and cultural identity of Russia. All graduates receive the ‘certificate of high school graduation’ from the Ministry of Education, Dubai.

The school was initially located in a small building. Because of an increasing number of students, they later moved the campus of the school to a larger two-storey building in Muhaisnah close to Beirut Street.

Russian International School Dubai offers classes from KG1 to Grade 11. It has received a Good rating from the Dubai School Inspection Board (DSIB), an authority that works under the KHDA.

The teachers are highly qualified and their professional conduct is evaluated annually by international experts.

Russian International School, which is located in Muhaisnah is surrounded by the industrial area. Some residential areas around the school include:

• Al Qusais
• Al Mizhar
• Mirdif

Those looking for residential accommodations near Russian International School can surely consider one of the following options:

• Apartments for rent near Russian International School
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The school was once located on the outskirts of Dubai (in Al Hamriya) and had 60 students. Eventually, with a growing number of students, the school had to be relocated to a bigger campus. The new campus in Muhaisnah 4 is a white, 2-storey building featuring Arabesque designs.

Key on-site facilities include a spacious assembly hall, a sports hall and a well-maintained cafeteria.

The school library setup was a gift from the Government of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. It was built under the assistance of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the UAE. This library is an integral part of the campus and meets the needs of students regarding textbooks and educational literature including fiction, popular science, encyclopedia, literature, visual aids, English, Arabic and Russian genres.

Russian International School Dubai is located on the north-west of Muhaisnah 4, a residential district close to the Dubai-Sharjah border. Industrial sites such as Al Qusais Industrial Area are in proximity. Closeness to Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road (E311) connects the school to other parts of the city. Muhaisnah 4 is also home to several other schools including the likes of Indian Academy Dubai, Oxford School, Philadelphia Private School and United International Private School.

With a ‘Good’ rating by the KHDA, Russian International School Dubai follows the educational standards of the Russian Federation. It implements modern methods and technologies to develop the required skills in preschoolers. English and Arabic are also an important part of the school curriculum.

The school is ideal for Russian expatriates seeking an environment close to their cultural identity. It incorporates positive attributes in students such as tolerance, respect and social awareness.

Academics and extracurricular activities go hand in hand for the mental and physical development of children. The school focuses on health trips, competitions, creative affairs and sports to provide a well-rounded experience. They also encourage students to take part in Olympiads–an examination that helps to identify a child’s capability and potential to perform well with the modern competitive world.

Students of the Russian International School Dubai are confident. They have interacted with the honourable President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin when he visited the school as part of the strategic cooperation between the UAE and Russia. The teaching staff puts special emphasis on improving the quality of education and student training while preparing 9th and 11th-grade students for their final Russian language, mathematics and elective subjects certification exam.

The school offers classes from KG1 to Grade 11. It follows a curriculum that ends with students taking the Volgograd leaving examination.

Students attending Grades 9 and 11 must attempt an exam at the end of the school year. The examination includes mandatory written and oral tests. Students who appear in Grade 9 have to clear at least four exams including Russian and Mathematics plus two elective subjects. Students in Grade 11 are required to clear five exams including mathematics and Russian in the Unified State Examination format.

Students who graduated from the Russian International School Dubai after 2010 got an equivalency certificate from the UAE Ministry of Education. Other than usual academic classes, the school also offers Russian language classes for Russian natives who study in English schools. The classes are conducted every Saturday morning.

The core curriculum is Russian, but Arabic and English are also an important part of the learning process for students. This is to ensure that students get admissions in foreign universities. The school also has made successful modifications to the curriculum to support the requirements laid down by the UAE Ministry of Education such as incorporating Arabic and Islamic Education in the list of compulsory subjects. Social Studies is also an important part of the syllabus. According to the KHDA report, quality and design of the curriculum are good throughout all the levels.

The Government of Dubai has established the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) that is responsible for the inspection of all private schools operating in Dubai to ensure quality education and development of students. This body rates schools on six parameters including ‘Outstanding’, ‘Very Good’, ‘Good’, ‘Acceptable’, ‘Weak’ and ‘Very Weak’. DSIB stands for Dubai School Inspection Bureau, established in 2007.

DSIB inspected the Russian International School Dubai for the 2019 – 2020 academic year. The school received a ‘Good’ rating from the KHDA.

According to the report the school has a very open and astute leadership. The curriculum is well designed and is adapted well to meet the needs and aspirations of students living in the multinational city of Dubai. The teaching at the secondary level is outstanding. Students have a good command of Russian and English language.

The KHDA recommends that the school improve their efforts on the subjects Islamic education and Arabic which is offered as an additional language as per the Ministry of Education rules.

• The first term starts in the last week of August and ends in the second week of December, followed by a 3-week winter break.
• The second term starts in the first week of January and ends in the last week of March, followed by a 2-week spring break.
• The third term starts in the second week of April and ends in the last week of June, followed by a 2-month summer break.

You can view the academic calendar for Russian International School on the school’s official website.

The following documents are required to start the admission process for all candidates:

• A copy of the child's Emirates ID
• A copy of Emirates ID of one of the parents
• A copy of the child's passport with a resident visa
• A copy of the passport of one of the parents with a resident visa
• A copy of the child's birth certificate
• A copy of the translation of the birth certificate into English
• A copy of the translation of the child's birth certificate into Russian (if the original birth certificate is not in Russian)
• Two photographs of size 3x4
• An extract from the medical card about vaccinations and its translation into English

Additional documents for admission in Grades 2 to 9 include:

• An original Student's personal card
• A copy of the report card for the last academic year and its Arabic translation

Please note that the Arabic version must be certified by the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the UAE Embassy located in the country from which the child came.

Additional documents for admission in Grade 10 are:

• An original student's personal card
• A copy of the Grade 9 report card and its translation into Arabic

Please note that the translated version must be certified by the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the UAE Embassy located in the country from where the child came.

Additional documents for admission in Grade 11 are:

• An original student's personal card
• A copy of the certificate for grade 9 with grades and a copy of the report card for grade 10 and their translation

Please note that each document must be translated and legalised separately into Arabic. The Arabic version must be certified by the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the UAE Embassy located in the country from which the child came.

Also, the copies of documents must be submitted electronically (in jpg, jpeg or pdf format) to: admin.ris@dubairuschool.com.

The admission process starts with document verification. After verification, the AED 500 registration deposit is payable to secure the seat. According to KHDA, this deposit is non-refundable if the offer is not taken up. For re-enrolment, AED 1,500 is to be paid by the end of March. It is deducted from the first-term fees.

The refund and notice period policy is explained below:

• If someone withdraws before the beginning of the academic year, the balance of the first term fee will be refunded. However, admission, registration deposit and re-enrolment fees are non-refundable.

If a student does not appear during the school term, the admission, registration and re-enrolment fees are non-refundable. Other tuition fees are refunded as per the guidelines of KHDA and Ministry of Education that says:

• If a student has attended school for two weeks or less, one full monthly fee will be charged.
• If a student has attended the school for more than two weeks and less than a month, two full months fee will be charged
• In case, a student attends school for more than a month, the fee of an entire term will be charged.
• The tuition fee will be divided based on the number of full weeks remaining in the term if a student joins the school in the middle of the term
• If re-enrolled students join the school during the middle term, the entire term fee will be charged.

For the safety of parents and students, registration and enrolment are to be done online. Parents and guardians must make a prior appointment if a face-to-face meeting is required.

Before the admission process starts, parents must ensure that their child meets the following age placement guideline.

This is based on the age of the students on 31st March (for schools beginning in April) and 31st August (for schools beginning in September). Source: KHDA

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

Russian International School in Dubai fee includes three categories i.e. tuition fee, mandatory fee and an optional fee.

The fee is payable in four instalments as per the schedule mentioned below:

• By 1st September
• By 1st October
• By 1st January
• By 1st April

Failure to pay the school fee by the due date may lead to the child losing their admission. It may also result in withholding of the school reports and examination results. School trip fee and the fee for extracurricular activities are charged separately.

You can pay the school fee through cash or bank transfer. If parents pay through bank transfer, they should communicate with the administration by emailing on account@dubairuschool.com.

Parents can also call at +971-4-264-1515. Further details regarding fee structure are available on the official school website.

The school encourages healthy eating habits among students. The school has a big canteen that supplies healthy snacks and refreshments. The high school council held a ‘healthy lunch box’ competition among students to encourage them to take charge of their eating habits.

The school operates a transport service that covers different areas in Dubai and Sharjah. Mirdif, International City, Silicon Oasis, JVC, Motor City, Greens, JLT, JBR, Dubai Marina and Palm Jumeirah are the areas covered by the Russian International School's transportation. Whereas, the school bus only covers Al Khan and Al Majaz in Sharjah.

The school has comfortable buses that meet all the requirements set by the Dubai Transport Department for school transportation, including air conditioning and seat belts on all seats. To ensure safety there is a supervisor to maintain discipline and safety conditions during the commute.

The school campus has an indoor hall for sports activities. Russian International School Dubai organises certain sports competitions. Such sports competitions promote a healthy lifestyle and instil teamwork skills among students.

Russian International School Dubai also recently organised a Health Day event for Grade 1 to Grade 11 students. Students competed in the long jump, jump rope, push-ups, relay race, short-distance running, volleyball and football. All winners were awarded diplomas, cups and medals.

Extra-curricular activities enhance creativity and learning in students. Russian International School Dubai organises creative events for students. The school also runs a newspaper titled ‘Shans’ and it encourages students to contribute. The arts group of the school promotes the creative abilities of children. A music room is also part of the facility that offers music education to all students while a specially equipped dance room is present for interested students.

All field trips are linked to the learning carried out in the classrooms. These field trips are held once in the academic year for all year groups. Some memorable field trips arranged during the last academic year include visits to The Green Planet Dubai, Kidzania in The Dubai Mall, Dubai Butterfly Garden and the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

Currently, the after-school care available at the Russian International School only includes extracurricular activities like chess, gymnastics, basketball and dance from 02:15 pm to 03:15 pm. However, there is no provision for bus transport at that time. Parents have to make other arrangements to pick up their children.

There is a medical clinic at Russian International School, Dubai that is managed by a full-time nurse.

There is a parent’s club in the Russian International School Dubai. The club organises parent-teacher meetings and discussions on how to promote learning capabilities in students. The school sends timely emails to parents and the website also has a news section for updates. It also uses social platforms like Facebook and Instagram as popular modes of communication between teachers and parents.

• Telephone Number: +971-4-264-1515
• Email: info@dubairuschool.com
• General Enquiries: info@dubairuschool.com
• Admission Enquiries: info@dubairuschool.com
• Website Russian International School
• Facebook Russian International School
• Instagram Russian International School

Please note that the featured cover image belongs to Russian International School Dubai.