The Dubai Culture and Arts Authority responded in less than an hour to the call of a citizen to save the Khansa School for Girls in Deira, which has been replaced for many years. Emirates Today learned that it will work in cooperation with the Ministry of Education to try to reach an appropriate formula. Through which the facility is protected and its history is saved within days, so that it becomes a public cultural facility.
The director and founder of the Emirates Center for Culture, History and Heritage, Hussein Al Badi, published a video on Monday, from the premises of Al Khansaa School located in Al Wuheida area in Dubai, showcasing a range of important parts of the school and its damaged objects, including documents, certificates of appreciation and distinctive paintings. Through the video, which he posted on his own account on the social media platform «Instagram», to intervene quickly and «save part of the history of the Khansa School for Girls in Dubai, where it was replaced and sold by auction», according to Al Badi through the publication. Al-Khansaa School is the first girls' school in the emirate. It was established in 1958 before it was demolished and its contents moved to its current headquarters in the 1990s.
Al Badi told Emirates Today that in the coming days, tripartite meetings will be held, including the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, the Ministry of Education and the Knowledge Authority in Dubai, to agree on an integrated plan aimed at reaching an appropriate formula through which to protect the facility from replacement.
Al Badi thanked Dubai Culture, represented by the Executive Director of the Culture and Heritage Sector at the Authority, Saeed Al Naboodah, and the Ministry of Education for the rapid response to the appeal, which took place within less than an hour, and expressed their desire to adopt a project to save the school if approved by the Ministry of Education. Government contacts in the ministry, to coordinate between the two parties, which has already been done, and thank them that a distress call quickly arrived to the conscious ear, and procedures are now taking place between the two sides, and has already collected important holdings in the school and secured documents, pictures, prizes and paintings ».
Al-Badi suggested that a special committee be appointed before replacing any old establishment with a population-related history, in coordination with the Culture and Arts Authority in Dubai, in order to reach the appropriate mechanisms and plans, pointing out that the idea of substitution may always be possible. It lies in the loss of its holdings and important documents, which can be saved and used later. ”
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, adopted the new cultural vision of Dubai in early October, marking the launch of the most comprehensive and diverse cultural movement in Dubai, including the rehabilitation of Zabeel Secondary School for Girls. To preserve the architectural history of the school and the region, it is the first in a series of similar initiatives aimed at the rehabilitation and use of eminent buildings in the emirate throughout history. The building will be transformed into a multi-functional space, including exhibitions, spaces for organizing events and workshops, hosting specialized museums, and a mini exhibition of the school's history.This will serve as a major destination for residents and visitors, as well as a platform for young people to practice their art activities.