Arada has awarded a AED128 million contract to Al Rehab Al Arabi Building Contracting Co. LLC for the construction of Raffles World Academy at Aljada, the AED35 billion mixed-use development in Sharjah.
The Sharjah-based contractor will build the K-12 international school, which is being developed in partnership with Innoventures Education.
The school will occupy a 480,000 square foot plot in the north-west corner of the development, near residential neighbourhoods.
Raffles World Academy Aljada to open in 2026 with IB programme and US diploma
Raffles World Academy, Aljada will open at the beginning of the 2026–2027 academic year to serve the community, which currently has 20,000 residents.
The school will offer the full International Baccalaureate (IB) programme, comprising the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP), IB Middle Years Programme (MYP), IB Diploma Programme (DP) and the IB Career-Related Programme (CP). Students will also be able to obtain the US High School Diploma.
“This contract award highlights our ongoing investment in community infrastructure and our long-term vision for Aljada as a fully integrated destination. We look forward to delivering another school of exceptional building quality, with a wide variety of facilities that will offer best-in-class education to families in Sharjah,” Ahmed Alkhoshaibi, Group CEO of Arada said.
“We are delighted to be on track to open our first school in Sharjah, which will offer a full IB programme in line with our existing Raffles World Academy in Dubai and also offer the US High School Diploma. Raffles World Academy, Aljada will empower students with a holistic, rigorous, and international education for success in an ever-changing world,” Poonam Bhojani, CEO of Innoventures Education added.
The school will be one of the first facilities to be completed on West Boulevard, the second street within the Aljada master plan.
West Boulevard is set to become the next construction focus for the development, following the design of East Boulevard, which has become an outdoor retail and family entertainment destination in the UAE.
The campus will include two swimming pools, a full-size football pitch, an athletic track and pit, and climate-controlled gymnasiums, alongside basketball and tennis courts. The facility will also feature learning studios, an auditorium, and a library.
Around 30 per cent of Aljada’s 25,000 homes are now completed, alongside entertainment, retail, educational, and sporting facilities, including SABIS International School–Aljada; East Boulevard, which features over 100 dining and retail outlets; and two out of three phases of Madar, the family entertainment district designed by Zaha Hadid Architects.
Spanning 24 million square feet, Aljada is Sharjah’s largest project to date, featuring residential districts, hospitality, entertainment, sports, education, healthcare, and Sharjah’s commercial hub, Arada Central Business District (CBD).
Aljada has connectivity with Sharjah city centre, Dubai, and the Northern Emirates via Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road.