Al Batinah International School (ABIS) in the Wilayat of Suhar, North Al Batinah Governorate inaugurated its new facilities yesterday, under the auspices of H.E. Sheikh Mohammed bin Marhoon Al Maamari, State Counselor, Their Excellencies representatives of the State Council, and community leaders.
ABIS aims to be the beacon of quality education in the region by providing the best learning experience to children in the Al Batinah region. ABIS is only 1 of the 3 International Baccalaureate (IB) authorized schools in Oman and the only one to offer the prestigious IB Diploma in North Al Batinah Governorate.
During the event, Engineer Said Al Masoudi, SA’s Chief Executive Officer, delivered a welcoming speech in which he said: “With 37 different nationalities, ABIS has become a cultural mixing pot that offers a unique learning opportunity for students and instills a strong sense of social and environmental responsibility and above all, an appreciation for the arts and culture. Today we celebrate ABIS expansion which will allow the school to grow to 550 students. The wealth of knowledge found here - in the classrooms, in the books, in the library, in the world-class science labs, in the wide array of extra-curricular activities and in the mere interactions with each other- is what we believe will challenge and inspire students to become well rounded global citizens and successful lifelong learners.”
Nofal Al Saidi, General Manager, Human Resource Services, Orpic, and Chairman of ABIS Board said, “Our joint venture partnership with Sohar Aluminum aims to provide the best quality education to children in the Al Batinah region. ABIS is an International Baccalaureate school and is fully accredited by one of the most rigorous accreditation agencies in the world, the Council of International Schools (CIS). The school provides a rich learning environment which encourages children to achieve their goals and supports them by being active partners in their educational journey which is in-line with one of our values to serve Oman and customers with pride.”
Neil Tomalin, Head of School, ABIS, added, “ABIS believes in holistic development of our students in line with the IB Learner Profile. We seek to develop not only academically able but also ethically and morally sound, technologically capable, caring and internationally minded individuals. Our mission at ABIS is to recognize and motivate students to achieve their potential and empower them to be life-long learners.”
"ABIS was proudly established by Sohar Aluminium and is now conjointly supported by Orpic. The school offers world-class programs to both expatriate and Omani students from K1 to Grade 12, with a campus designed using the latest research to create an environment focused on students and their learning. It includes top quality sports facilities, innovative Learning Communities, purpose build play areas and a farm that links our Omani heritage". Neil concluded.
This joint venture project has paved way for supporting quality education in the region allowing for the expansion of ABIS capacity to 550 students with additional land to expand the school capacity to 1200 students when required. In addition to the International Community Section, a Global Section opened to provide high-quality international education that ABIS is known for. The Global Section increased the emphasis on English, Arabic and Islamic studies with the aim of helping children grow into Oman's leaders of tomorrow.
Aimed at earlier year grades enrollment, Orpic has initiated a scholarship program back in 2015. The Orpic ABIS Assisted Scholarship Program will allow able and motivated students living in the North Al Batinah Governorate to have access to world-class education. It provides a full range of scholarships (from 30% to a maximum of 100%) for the duration of their school life at ABIS. Having already enrolled 35 Orpic ABIS Assisted Scholarships in the past three years, Orpic will expand its scholarship to an additional 12-15 per year, with the 2018 intake underway.
About ABIS:
Al Batinah International School (ABIS) is a joint venture between Orpic and Sohar Aluminum. The school is focused on becoming a leading international school in the GCC by providing an innovative, inquiry-based education that empowers its students to be successful. For more information, visit www.abisoman.com.
About Sohar Aluminium
Sohar Aluminium (SA) was formed in September 2004 to undertake a landmark Greenfield aluminium smelter project in the Sultanate of Oman. It is jointly owned by Oman Oil Company, Abu Dhabi National Energy Company PJSC - TAQA and Rio Tinto. By implementing decades of industry insight in its design, specification and construction, SA has been created to ensure efficiency, environmental protection and the utmost safety of its workforce. The smelter has an annual production capacity of 375 thousand tonnes of high-quality Aluminium. Omanization currently stands above 76% of our workforce and is a driving force within the organisation supported by our internationally recognised training centre which gives all our employees the opportunity for further learning. Sohar Aluminium intends to become a benchmark smelter that is globally recognized while contributing to the sustainable development of Oman.
About Orpic:
Orpic is one of Oman’s largest companies and one of the most rapidly growing businesses in the Middle East oil industry. Orpic’s refineries, as well as the Aromatics and Polypropylene plants, provide fuel, chemicals, plastics and other petroleum products to Oman and to the world. To meet the needs of the growing international markets, Orpic pursuits a vision to be a globally competitive, downstream business that Oman is proud of, through sustainably maximizing the value for its stakeholders as their partner of choice. This is achieved by implementing the best business practices which are inspired by Orpic's values: the safety of operations & environment, empowerment of people, and commitment to serve Oman and customers with pride.