St. Mary's Catholic High School (SMCHS) was established in the year 1968 by Fr. Eusebius Daveri. It is located in the city of Dubai, and is one of the oldest schools in the UAE. Affiliated with the church, the school has a very evident Catholic background.
History of SMCHS
The land on which St. Mary's Catholic High School, Dubai stands is the kind courtesy of the then dynamic ruler, His Highness Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum. Under the guidance, determination and foresight of the founding father, Father Eusebius Daveri, St. Mary's Catholic School was born in 1968, in a little classroom, with 30 students and a handful of teachers. On 15 August 1968, Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady, Father Bamba, an Army Chaplain, in the presence of Father Eusebius and the community blessed the foundation stone for the school project.
In 1971, the school was recognised as a Centre for the London University GCE Examinations at Ordinary Levels.
Controversy and lawsuits
In 2016, the school was accused of corporal punishment by an anonymous student. This issue was raised in court, and the school was made to pay a hefty fine of AED 557,000 to the student.
In 2021, a student was found dead in this school, stuffed and drowned in a toilet. Later it was found out that a staff member had committed the crime and was promptly arrested on 3rd October 2021.
Notable alumni
Sunny Varkey — Chairman and co-founder of GEMS Education
Francis deSouza — Chief Executive Officer of Illumina
Kevin Thomas - First South Asian and the first Indian-American to serve in the New York State Senate