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- Health and safety continues to be top priority as students and staff return
- GEMS Education invests significantly in brand new facilities at its schools
DUBAI: GEMS Education will welcome 15,000 new students and 1,300 new teachers across its schools in the UAE on Sunday August 29 as it opens its gates for the new academic term.
By far the region’s biggest private K-12 education provider, GEMS will be educating more than 120,000 students in total who will attend 43 schools in the UAE, staffed by some 7,000 high quality teachers boosted by the new intake.
Dino Varkey, Chief Executive Officer of GEMS Education, said: “At GEMS Education, the start of a new term is always an exhilarating time, and this Autumn term is especially charged with anticipation and excitement as our new staff and students from around the world join the growing GEMS family.
“We have invested substantially in upgrading school facilities during the summer break to build on our world-class level of physical and digital provision across our schools. This summer we’ve focused on our through-school provisions ensuring that our offering from nursery to post-16 is even richer at every stage.”
The improvements to each of its schools across the network include:
- A new Reggio Emilia* nursery at GEMS Wellington Academy – Silicon Oasis
- Sustainable eco gardens at GEMS Wellington Academy – Al Khail
- A new roof top extension at GEMS Dubai American Academy
- A cross-fit gymnasium at GEMS Metropole School – Motor City
As education returns to near normality with in-person classes largely resuming across the emirates, and the nation’s vaccine drive extending to younger students, GEMS Education continues to place the health and safety of its staff and students at the very top of its agenda.
Elmarie Venter, Chief Operations Officer at GEMS Education, said: “With the UAE at the forefront of the global vaccination drive, we can confirm that 8,843 students of our schools aged 12 and above have already been protected through the GEMS vaccination drive with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, and additional campaigns will be conducted early in the new term to cover the remaining eligible students.
“There has been an overwhelming positive response and appreciation from parents for ensuring a safe and secure environment for their children as part of the 'I Choose to Vaccinate' campaign. Meanwhile, we have achieved an impressive rate of 98.6% of eligible staff across all GEMS schools being vaccinated. We will ensure that our 1,300 new teachers similarly will have received their vaccines to further support our mission to ensure all our schools are as safe as possible.”
GEMS Education is gearing up for its annual induction event, GEMS Awareness Day, next week (26 August) where new teachers, many of whom have relocated to the UAE, will hear from GEMS’ senior leadership team and educationalists to learn more about the group’s core values and achievements.
The new intake of teachers span the full range of year groups from kindergarten to post-16, and cover Indian, British and US curricula.
The schools return for the new term having delivered record results in CBSE, IB, GCSE and A-levels in the last academic year.
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* The Reggio Emilia approach to teaching and learning allows children from a very young age to use their voice in their own lives and focuses on natural environments. The WSO Nursery will have its own outdoor learning and play area, while inside, the nursery’s décor and pre-school toys are all made from natural materials.
About GEMS Education
GEMS Education is one of the world’s oldest and largest K-12 private education providers. It is a highly regarded choice for quality private education in the Middle East and North Africa region. As a company founded in the UAE in 1959, it holds an unparalleled track record of providing diverse curricula and educational choices to all socio-economic means. GEMS Education now owns and operates 63 schools and educates over 130,000 students in the MENA region; and through its growing network of schools as well as charitable contributions is fulfilling the founder’s vision of putting a quality education within the reach of every child.
For further information about GEMS Education, visit www.gemseducation.com or contact:
Mina Kiwan
Senior Account Director
Memac Ogilvy
Mina.kiwan@ogilvy.com | Tel: (+971) 4 305 0200
© Press Release 2021
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