Manama Bahrain, 8th July 2015

Leading urban developers, Diyar Al Muharraq, announced the signing of a land sale agreement recently with Medad Real Estate Company, part of the Kooheji group of companies in Bahrain, for the purpose of developing Al Safwa Private School within its premises.

The agreement was signed at Diyar Al Muharraq headquarters by Dr. Maher Al Shaer, Chief Executive Officer of Diyar Al Muharraq and Mr. Abdul Ghaffar Al Kooheji, Board Chairman of Medad Real Estate Company.

Present at the signing ceremony were officials from both companies as well as His Excellency, Mr. Mikael Leijonberg, Honorable Consul of the Swedish Embassy and officials from KEDTECH, the Bahrain Economic development Board (EDB), and Aref Sadeq Consultancy firm.

The EDB played an active role in this agreement by inviting KEDTECH to visit Bahrain in order to view the site location and to learn more about the Kingdom's strengths in the education sector. The EDB also facilitated a number of meetings with potential investors from the private sectorin order to facilitate reaching an agreement to establish the school at Diyar Al Muharraq.

The school will be constructed by Kooheji Contractors on a total land area of 30,000 square meters, located opposite the Diyar Homes neighborhood close to the main entrance of Diyar Al Muharraq. It will be the first schoolin the new Al Safwa Group of schools and it will be operated by Al Safwa in cooperation with the Swedish school operators, KEDTECH, and will be a K12 school cateringto Bahrainis as well as expat students.

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 and a social anchorage in Bahraini culture and values. This combination of Global and local education, will establish the school as the first truly "GLOCAL" school in Bahrain.

Commenting on the agreement, Ms. Vivian Jamal, Executive Director - Business Development at the EDB said: "Bahrain enjoys a prosperous education sector with developed public education and high-level training programs, in addition to a number of private schools that offer excellent curriculums from all over the world. Supplementing the sector with more specialized schools will no doubt contribute to raising efficiency and will provide high-quality education to the largest possible number of students. Through such agreements we are hoping to help young Bahrainis learn to the highest available standards in order for them to become productive members of society and to allow them to take on jobs that meet their level of education in the future".

On this occasion, Dr. Maher Al Shaer, Chief Executive Officer of Diyar Al Muharraq said: "We sincerely welcome Al Safwa School into our fold as education is a top priority for us. Having succeededin attracting highly reputed international schools to our project, we are moving even closer to attaining our prime objective for Diyar Al Muharraq, to be a fully integrated modern city with all facilities provided whether for residential, educational , commercial or entertainment purposes."

"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", he added.

From his side Mr. Abdul Ghaffar Al Kooheji, Chairman of Medad Real Estate and founder of Kooheji Contractors said: "Throughout our 40 years of operation in Bahrain, we are honored to have contributed considerably to the development of the kingdom. For us schools and education of the next generation has been a strong interest. We consider Diyar Al Muharraq as a natural location for a school intending to set a new standard for Bahraini education with its unique offerings on par with the highest international standards, and in compliance with Internationally accredited curriculums such as the Cambridge Board covering a comprehensive list of subjects such as Arabic and foreign languages, Science, History, Arts and Islamic studies, to fulfill the needs of the Bahraini society. We are indeed committed to the development of Bahrain and its next generation of leaders."

Elaborating further, Mr. Odd Eiken, Chief Executive Officer of KEDTECH, an international school operator and curriculum developer from Sweden, said: "We operate 50 schools with more than 15,000 students and are active in Sweden, England, USA, India, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. All our activities are based on the conviction that 21st century schools should extensively use modern technology and they should provide both the highest international standards and a strong anchorage in local language, culture and values. In extensive preparatory work and discussions with the Kooheji Group, we have found that we share the same vision for education. We are very excited about the agreement we signed with them pertaining to operating the school and we look forward to put in our best resources to create a state of art school for Bahrain and to become a role model for the region."

With a total land area of 30,000 square meters and a 3000 square meters built up area over 3 floors, the school has the capacity to enroll 3000 students.

The development of curriculum and standards has already begun. Construction of the already designed school will start in August 2015 and the school is due to start its operation in September 2016.

Diyar Al Muharraq is a unique master planned city for the people of Bahrain offering range of housing options and quality lifestyle. Diyar Al Muharraq offers a cohesive mix of residential and commercial properties with a strong line up of projects aimed at creating a long term and sophisticated township.

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Diyar Al Muharraq is one of the most visionary and progressive urban developments in the Kingdom of Bahrain; an all comprehensive, fully integrated modern city best described as a complete society incorporating a strong line-up of projects which include a vast variety of residential and commercial properties, ideal for both personal and investment purposes. Aimed at creating a long term and sustainable township, Diyar Al Muharraq is located on the northern shores of Muharraq and comprises of 7 islands with a total of 10 square kilometers of reclaimed land. Upon completion, Diyar Al Muharraq will encompass over 40 kilometers of waterfront with sandy beaches, and all the elements of a vibrant community ranging extensively from fully equipped educational facilities and schools, medical centres, recreation facilities, shopping malls, expansive parklands, hotels and marinas. Diyar Al Muharraq is to be a first of its kind development, one that aims to offers its occupants a safe haven for the ideal life.

About The Bahrain EDB
The Bahrain EDB is a dynamic public agency with an overall responsibility for attracting inward investment into Bahrain, and is focusing on target economic sectors in which the Kingdom offers significant strengths.

Key areas of focus include manufacturing, ICT, and logistics and transport services as well as other sub-sectors. The Financial Services sector in Bahrain is particularly strong and the EDB supports in the continuing growth of the banking industry and key sub-sectors, including Islamic Finance, Asset Management, Insurance and Re-Insurance.

For more information on the Bahrain EDB visit www.bahrainedb.com; for information about Bahrain visit www.bahrain.com

Issued by prlinks on behalf of Diyar Al Muharraq
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© Press Release 2015