Al Najah Education, a Dubai-based investment company, acquired a 100% equity stake in Cooper Nursery, a highly reputed EYFS Nursery in Al Safa, and has rebranded it as Horizon Kids Nursery to be an affiliate to one of the leading schools in Dubai, the Horizon English School.
Al Najah Education was established with the objective of investing in the education sector in the MENA region and is managed by Al Masah Capital Limited ("AMCL"). AMCL is active in the private equity sector, having one of the most experienced investment teams in the region, and is led by Mr. Shailesh Dash, the founder and CEO. AMCL also manages similar private equity platforms in the healthcare sector and food & beverage sector.
Mr. Shailesh Dash, CEO of AMCL and Board Chairman of Al Najah Education stated "We are one of the most experienced education investment team in the region and had invested more than AED300 million in the MENA education sector. We have built up strong relationships with the regulators, schools and human capital in the region which has enabled us to rapidly invest in high quality education entities and expand them to offer the best standards of education to students of all age groups in this region"
Nrupaditya Singhdeo, Partner, Al Masah Capital and board member of Al Najah Education said "We are happy to have acquired Cooper Nursery as we continue to build up our portfolio of education assets. We expect by end 2013 to be providing schooling for more than 4,000 students in the UAE through our nurseries and schools, and we are also pursuing expansion aggressively into Oman by launching schools and an university in the Sultanate."
Cooper Nursery is a 2 year old nursery located at Al Safa, which offers high quality care and education to children from 3 months to 4 years, with regular school timings and also offers late pick-up options for busy parents. The nursery has a strong and caring team of teachers, teaching assistants and nannies to ensure that children are well looked after, and has additional facilities such as safe outdoor play areas, a sensory room, an art studio, and specially zoned areas for different age groups amongst other features. The rebranding to Horizon Kids Nursery will ensure that the quality and standards at Horizon English School, which has recently being rated Outstanding by KHDA, will be implemented and maintained in the nursery.
AMCL believes that education is one of the most attractive sectors for investment in the MENA region and it would be a USD 96 billion market with an estimated 50+ million number of students by 2015. Fast growing population, high enrolment rates, high per capita GDP and high expat population all drive a high demand for quality education in the region.
AMCL is a leading alternative investment company based in Dubai, UAE, and has a subsidiary regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority. AMCL offers investment products across private equity, listed equities, fixed income and real estate to investors, and has raised more than USD500million since it was founded in 2010.
Al Najah Education is a private equity platform managed by AMCL focusing on the education sector. Al Najah Education is the owner of Horizon English School, located in Jumeirah, Dubai, and are in the process of acquiring and launching new nurseries, schools and other educational facilities across the MENA region.
© Press Release 2013
