RIYADH — Sharing the blessings of the holy month of Ramadan the German International School in Riyadh celebrated an interfaith iftar on Thursday together with the school community.

The school's headmaster said the event marked the welcoming approach the school extends to all its students. "Peace, love and tolerance are the essence of all religions and underpin intercultural and interfaith dialogue,“ said Uwe Schüsterl.

"The iftar is an occasion for our many Muslim students to share this experience with their friends and classmates," the headmaster added.

The food was cooked by families from the school community and the setting was prepared by the teachers and the parents.

Students from many Arab countries had the opportunity to tell their German and international classmates about the Ramadan traditions in their families and homes.

The German International School in Riyadh was established more than 40 years ago. Licensed by the Saudi Ministry of Education, the school is offering high quality education to its over hundred students from all over the world from kindergarten to grade 10.

What unites the parents and children of the school is the desire for an education based on German curriculum. The language of instruction is German.

Children from families in which other languages are spoken, for example Arabic or English, receive additional German language training, making it possible to enter the school at any age with only basic and in some cases even without previous knowledge of German. A balanced marking system takes language difficulties into account.

“After about a year almost everybody is fully fluent in German,” said Schüsterl, pointing out that the German language represents a valuable asset for further personal and academic development of the students.

Three years ago the school moved into new and well-equipped premises in Al-Bustan compound. Early-learning possibilities are provided by the kindergarten, which can be entered by children from the age of 2.