ROME: An Egyptian educator has been appointed rector of the United World College of the Adriatic in Duino, Italy.

Khalid El-Metaal, currently deputy headteacher of the Toronto French School in Canada, will be in charge of the highly regarded international school, attended by around 200 students aged 16-19 from around different 90 countries, who study the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, a two-year internationally recognized pre-university course.

Twenty percent of the students attending UWC Adriatic come from Middle Eastern countries.

The school is situated in the small village of Duino, in Italy’s northeastern province of Trieste, less than 5km from the Slovenian border. It was founded in 1982 by the Friuli-Venezia Giulia regional authorities and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with its courses focused on international and intercultural understanding.

Originally from Egypt, El-Metaal was raised in the UK.

Prior to his role in Toronto, he was deputy headteacher at the Modern English School of Cairo for five years, having been the head of modern languages there for the previous three years. Before that, he held a range of different positions at a variety of educational centers in the UK. 
“Finding a head … was not always going to be easy and it took a very thorough process,” said Ambassador Cristina Ravaglia, president of UWC Adriatic. “Articulate, with a deep passion for education, Khalid is purposeful, innovative and energetic. His cultural heritage and Mediterranean roots will enrich UWC Adriatic, and we are very much looking forward to welcoming him to Duino.”