New Russian school in Abu Dhabi welcomes first students

Abu DhabiThis week the first Russian school started enrolling students.

Abu Dhabi Russian School is run by Primakov School in western Moscow and is regularly rated as a top educational institution.

There are approximately 50 students at the start of the semester, and enrollment continues.

Its director, Olesia Popenkova, was a former vice-principal of the Moscow school and recently moved to Abu Dhabi.

“There is a lot of demand for Russian courses because there are a lot of people from Russian-speaking countries, and we are open to any nationality,” she said.

“We’re expecting some other families to join us in September and we’ll get higher grades next year and our numbers will increase.

“This year, we have students from Russia and the UAE. We also have students from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, Spain and many other countries.

“We are very proud of the Russian curriculum and want to show the best of it abroad.”

The launch comes as the UAE’s Russian-speaking population continues to grow. The only other Russian school is the Russian International School, located in Dubai’s Muhaisnah district since 1996.

population growth

This striking new red brick building accommodates 500 students. Ms Popenkova said that the Russian education system places great emphasis on academic achievement and basic knowledge and discipline.

She said the program took a personalised approach to discovering each student’s talents and helping them develop, and the school’s students were known for their academic prowess, often participating in the Olympic Games.

“This is one of the top schools [in the Moscow region]although it’s still young,” said Ms Popenkova of the parent school, which has been around since 2017.

The school is located in the west of Moscow, and the bilingual education in Russian and English and the rich extracurricular activities are very popular with parents. The school is known for its rigorous admissions procedures and high standards.

The focus of the first year is to ensure that students’ Russian language skills are up-to-date, as subjects such as mathematics, literature, science, etc., will be taught in Russian.

“We do know that different students are at different levels of Russian, and this year we really need a very personal approach,” she said.

Families drawn to Abu Dhabi for school

The school’s fees have been reduced by 50% for the current academic year, and the tuition fees for Nursery and Kindergarten One and Two for the 2022-23 school year will be AED 17,750 (US$ 4,832).

The school has opened its doors for students in pre-K to 5th grade.

For Tatiana Chuchalina, 39, a working mother of three, making sure her children were educated in Russian was so important that the family decided to move from Dubai to Abu Dhabi.

It was only six months ago that they moved from Moscow to Dubai for better job opportunities.

Mrs Chuchalina and her husband work in Dubai and travel from Abu Dhabi several times a week so their children can attend Russian schools.

“I found the Russian education system to be very good because of how deep they are in the subject,” she said.

“We prefer our children to study in Russian schools, and for that we had to move to Abu Dhabi, which was very difficult for us.”

Valeria, 9, will be in fourth grade, Mark, 7, is in second grade, and Maria, 6, is in first grade.

Primakov schools are known in Russia for their high standards, she said.

She said that when she learned of the opening of a branch in Abu Dhabi, “I immediately called the school and made an appointment”.

Ms Chuchalina said she immediately asked if they would relocate teachers from Primakov to Abu Dhabi and was glad to be told they would.

Obtaining the International Baccalaureate was also an important factor, as it meant that her children could choose to receive an international education at the university.

“It’s something I want to give my kids,” she said. “I want to give them two diplomas. The first one can be from the National Curriculum school, so if they decide to go back to Moscow for further studies, they still have a choice.

“From point two, they still have the option of going to an international university. It’s the best I can give them as a mother, and the whole world will be open for them.”

Updated: September 14, 2022 5:43 am