Diyar Al Muharraq has signed an agreement which will see the construction of a state-of-the-art private school within its man-made islands located off the north of Muharraq in Bahrain.

It will be the first of a number of schools to be developed by the new Al Safwa Group, which will operate the K-12 educational facility in cooperation with Swedish school operators Kedtech.

The deal signed is for land sale with Medad Real Estate Company, part of the Kooheji group of companies in Bahrain, to develop Al Safwa Private School, which will cater to Bahraini as well as expat students. It was signed at Diyar Al Muharraq headquarters by Dr Maher Al Shaer, CEO of Diyar Al Muharraq, and Abdul Ghaffar Al Kooheji, board chairman of Medad Real Estate Company. Also present were Mikael Leijonberg, consul of the Swedish Embassy and officials from Kedtech, Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB), and Aref Sadeq Consultancy, the consultant on the project.

The school will be constructed by Kooheji Contractors on a total land area of 30,000 sq m, and will have a built-up area of 3,000 sq m spread over three floors. It will have the capacity to enroll 3,000 students. It will be located opposite the Diyar Homes neighbourhood close to the main entrance of Diyar Al Muharraq.

Commenting on the deal, Dr Maher says: “Al Safwa School is considered to be a new vital educational resource for not only the residents of Diyar Al Muharraq, but also for pupils from all over the kingdom.”

According to a spokesman, the development of curriculum and standards has already begun, and construction of the school – design work on which has already been completed – will start in this month. The school is due to start operation in September 2016.

The school will provide a curriculum that combines the highest international standards and languages, as provided in the Cambridge International Examinations, with Arabic language and literature, he says. “This combination of global and local education, will establish the school as the first truly ‘Glocal’ school in Bahrain.”