Dubai’s Gems Education to scale up presence in India

Gems Education, part of the Dubai-based Varkey Group, is reportedly planning to invest up to $30 million in India over the next three to five years.

The strategy includes the development of more than 30 Gems-operated schools, a nationwide network of more than 1,000 Gems partner schools and the establishment of a dedicated school for teacher training, the Economic Times, an Indian financial daily, reported.

The first five of the planned 21 Gems-operated schools will open this academic year, Sunny Varkey, founder and chairman of Gems Education, told the newspaper.

Another 16 campuses are planned over the next two years across eight states, he said.

The expansion will be backed through a combination of build-to-suit campuses, school transformation initiatives and collaborations with existing school operators, Varkey added.

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The Gems-operated school network in India is expected to serve more than 100,000 learners and create more than 10,000 educators, the report said.

Gems Education has more than 146,000 students across the UAE, including 99,000 in Dubai, supported by over 25,000 staff and educators, group CEO Dino Varkey told the Dubai Media Office this month.

The company is planning to invest AED2 billion ($545 million) over the next three years to add around 20,000 new student seats, he said.