SAISA

The SAISA logo includes the abbreviations for the ten schools that participate in the SAISA competitions. It portrays all the contraries that participate in the events.

The South Asian Inter-Scholastic Association (better known as SAISA) brings together 10 top international schools from across the Indian subcontinent region to compete against one another in sports, music and other non-core curricular activities. It is comparable to other regional networks of international schools, such as the Interscholastic Association of Southeast Asian Schools (IASAS), operating in Southeast Asia.

SAISA events enable students to represent their schools at other schools abroad. They also provide students an opportunity to visit other international schools in the region and to sample and experience homestays with other families. The people participating in the events have to comply to a strict code of conduct.

The purpose of SAISA is to promote and coordinate regional professional development activities, academic and cultural festivals, athletic tournaments, and other events deemed appropriate by the member schools.

As educators committed to the ideal of realising the full potential of each student, we believe the fundamental aim of SAISA is to promote the values of collaboration, creativity, sportsmanship, and fair and ethical competition.

While acknowledging the notion of ‘winning’ in sporting events and other competitions, a recognition more important is that students come together to participate in various activities in the truest spirit of cooperation and competition, and develop physically,emotionally, creatively and intellectually through the sporting, academic and artistic experiences themselves.

To ensure its realisation in each SAISA event, the above aim is to be included in the correspondence between each school, its students and parents.

SAISA was started in 1972, International School of Islamabad (ISI - now ISOI), Lahore American School (LAS), Karachi American School (KAS), Murree Christian School (MCS) and the American International School of Kabul (AISK) came together to become the South Asia Inter-Schools Association (SAISA). This was a way for the schools to give their students a cross cultural opportunity, to play competitive sports and make new friends.

The schools annually arranged sporting, cultural and academic events. This would include team sports such as American Flag Football, basketball, Field Hockey and Soccer; Track and Field, Individual sports such as Swimming, Tennis, Badminton and Table Tennis; Drama - each school performing a One-Act Play; Music; Art; College Bowl, Debating Competition and Chess were also included. Small schools like MCS would close down for a week in order to participate in multiple events. These events were all held on the same week, not spread out over the year like they are now. Later on, other international schools around South Asia started to join the organization. The American Embassy School (AES) Delhi joined SAISA after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, which also ended Kabul’s involvement in SAISA.