Billabong High International School receives high praise from parents

While Billabong High International School, located in Ameenee Magu, Male' City remains the first international school opened in Maldives, it is important to question the parents of newly enrolled students about their views and perceptions of the school's competency.

The curriculum and teaching techniques adopted by the school prioritize nurturing students who can confidently take the initiative to learn independently, without placing any additional burdens on them.

"I really like the methods used by the school." said Dhimna Fakir, a parent of a student who was enrolled into Grade 1 at the school last year.

"If we miss the school for example, all the information can be accessed through EduPage (a school management system integrated with leading scheduling software). EduPage is modeled so children can check it themselves; my child Nausheen will find the lessons she missed all on her own."

Principal of the school, Ismail Saudulla, stated that when students take the initiative to learn independently, it allows teachers to plan additional activities related to the subject in addition to the content plan.

Dhimna recalled that the students present the content they have learned to their parents on "culmination day" at the end of the term. This practice significantly highlights the school's emphasis on students' ability to take initiative during their studies. Dhimna further said that the most special feature of the school is its teachers.

"I would like to highlight the compassion the teachers hold for the students. The teachers are very good to my daughter. I always notice that [they] prioritize and encourage individual qualities of children," said Dhimna.

Addressing the school's operations, Vice Principal, Aminath Rehendhi stated that sustainably training teachers is the school's foremost priority. The international award-winning Billabong curriculum plays a significant role in achieving this as it is structured to prioritize individual needs of each student in addition to the standard lessons taught.

Dhimna affirmed that despite being an international school, the school gives equal importance to the subjects Quran and Islam, with activities such as Quran competitions, Islamic quizzes and Dhivehi language weeks carried out in consideration of all grades and levels. She emphasized that the priority given to these two subjects is no different from that of any other school.

Billabong High also teaches special subjects, such as the 'Global Awareness, ICT and English Literature' for students in Grade 1 and above, unlike other schools.

"This is the subject my daughter enjoys the most. Their [the students] eyes are significantly opened towards worldly matters at such a young age. And the children learn things such as computer literacy through subjects such as ICT as well." explained Dhimna.

Principal of the School, Saudulla stated that that the upcoming year will see the introduction of additional special subjects for the first time in a Maldivian school.

"Efforts are ongoing to introduce entirely new things at the school this year. One of these special things is beginning to teach the two Cambridge subjects, 'Wellbeing' and 'Digital Literacy' introduced specially for middle school students. Our aim is to teach the students how to use the technology of this evolving world in a responsible manner through this subject and familiarize them with the developments of the world today which is a thousand times different from the world their parents grew up in," said Saudulla.

In addition to teaching, extracurricular activities are also a highly unique feature of the school, Dhimna said.

Together with respective coaches or associations, clubs such as chess, carrom and martial arts which allows students to chose their preferred option are carried out at the end of the school day. Clubs directly coordinated by the school teachers are also included, such as photography, cooking, urban gardening, digital arts and robotics.

Unlike some other schools, Billabong High does not take additional fees for sports activities.

While the school facilitates participation in at least one club for each student, they also plan annual sports activities including football, basketball, table tennis, badminton, swimming and athletics. These activities are held in collaboration with various other academies and aims to strengthen the mental and physical health of students through sports.

"Schools have now become a place only for studies. I believe that schools must be a place which opens paths for students to further hone their individual skills and techniques in addition to studying. Therefore, extracurricular activities must be prioritized just as much as studies," said Saudulla

Admission application Billabong High International School can be submitted through Islanders Education's online website, www.islanderseducation.com/admissions.

Note: This is an advertorial article for Islanders Education.