Victoria International School

VISS is a premium, not-for-profit international school, which offers a rigorous academic program for girls and boys aged 3-19. VISS provides a quality education to a diverse international community. It is a highly sought after school, and is seen as a leader in education in the region, proudly teaching the Victorian version of the Australian curriculum. An agreement was signed between His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, and the then Victorian Labor government of Australia, for the establishment of Victoria International School of Sharjah in November 2005. The school opened for classes in September 2007 on a purpose built (Victorian designed) campus on the border of Dubai and Sharjah. The teaching methods and the curriculum standards from Victoria impressed HH, whose vision to build a lighthouse school that would act to support improvement and development in education in Sharjah, saw him look to the Victorian Department of Education to collaborate on creating a Victorian model school. As the preeminent provider of Australian education in the Middle East, VISS often works with external bodies to promote Victoria and Victorian education in the region. The school has developed strong relationships with a number of bodies, both in the Middle East and in Australia, and has close ties with the Australian embassy and the Victorian Business Office in the UAE. The official ceremony to formally open the school in 2009, to ratify the agreement between the Victorian and Sharjah governments, was attended by both the Ruler of Sharjah and the then Premier of Victoria, the Hon. John Brumby.