Students moved from 'hazardous' school

An Abu Dubai villa school has moved hundreds of pupils to safer premises after being threatened with closure.

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A Filipino school in Abu Dhabi has moved hundreds of pupils to safer premises after being threatened with closure.

Pisco Private School was one of 10 inspected by the education authority during a scrutiny of villa-based institutions. The school, which follows the Philippine curriculum, was warned by Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) in March to fix hazardous conditions or face penalties, including being shut down.

The authority allowed the school to move pupils in Grades 7 to 10 to a temporary, purpose-built facility in Mohammed bin Zayed City. The building can accommodate 368 children. Pupils in KG1 to Grade 6 will continue at the villa campus until a permanent alternative is finished within two years.

Rosemarie Natividad, Pisco's principal, said the school had been told to reduce pupil numbers.

"We have more than 520 pupils and so we had to lease out a building to accommodate at least 230 of our high school pupils."

Pisco will take in pupils displaced from the Philippine National School (PNS). It received a similar warning from the education council and has had to reduce its pupil numbers this year.

Pisco is awaiting approval from the authority for a campus in Musaffah.

Until recently, most Filipino schools in the emirate operated in villas, but Adec plans to close all villa schools in the emirate by 2013.