Featured School
Our Own English High School Sharjah...
Striving for excellence, striding towards success
Mrs. Asma Gilani, Principal
at Our Own English High
School Sharjah.
O
ur Own English High School
Sharjah (OOS) is among a
number of schools belonging
to the prestigious GEMS
Education Group. The school was
established in 1982, with the mandate
of providing Kindergarten to Grade 12
students with high quality education.
Principal,
Mrs.
Asma
Gilani
commented, “The environment of the
school affects the mood, energy levels
and focus of all the stakeholders. To
promote creativity and innovation,
we need to provide a free and open
environment, in which teachers feel
inspired to be creative. At OOS,
teachers think of ways and strategies
to make teaching and learning a new
experience for themselves and the
students.”
The school’s excellence transpires
in the learning environment and
the relationships among teachers,
students and parents. Gilani further
added, “We introspect, reflect and
review our own understanding of
trends in education, seek out ways to
evolve, to improve our thinking, and
go beyond trenched perspectives.”
OOS boasts of a rich and diverse mix
of students. Hence, it emphasizes on
both social and moral development
of students to promote multi-cultural
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understanding. Understandably, the
school takes pride in its children who
have always excelled in academics
and extra -curricular activities. The
beaming principal shared, “My girls
make their presence felt everywhere.
They have topped UAE in Grade 12
CBSE
examinations,
represented
UAE women’s cricket team, initiated
innovative projects and are great
thinkers.”
In support of the ‘Year for Reading,’
OOS has initiated grade specific
reading programmes, which not only
enhance reading skills in children but
also listening and speaking.
“At the primary level, children read
and narrate stories in front of their
classmates. This activity generates
interest in students,” stated Mrs.
Gilani, “they listen, ask questions and
also extrapolate. Interestingly, most
children speak eloquently and exhibit
a high level of confidence. Others
make appreciable efforts to speak
correctly. By the end of the term, every
child gets a chance to narrate a story.”
She added that this is regularly
monitored to assess the level of
reading of all children with different
abilities. While talking about the
success of the programme, she
mentioned that children look forward
Class Time
to this activity; since they are exposed
to a wide variety of stories that make
them think and wonder.
Mrs Gilani believes in fostering thinking
skills in students. She encourages
them to have their own perception
of things happening around them,
inculcate critical thinking and problem
solving skills to enable them to be
confident and competent young girls
of conviction, who can respond to
challenges with optimism and open
minds.
She noted that the best of ideas can
only be successful if implemented
properly. Below, she highlights a few
of the successful programmes that are
being run at the school.
‘Ruhaaniyaat Islamiyah’
Islam is a way of life and cannot be
confined to textbooks and classrooms.
‘Ruhaaniyaat Islamiyah’ is an annual
event that includes a number of
activities that engage students.
Activities include reciting verses from
the Quran, singing songs in praise of
Allah, discussions on Islamic life, quiz
on Islam and display of attire that
Islam encourages women to wear.
Additionally, students make models
on Astronomy, Islam and Science
of Embryology as mentioned in the
Quran. This has helped the students