Affordable schools 'a key priority' in the UAE, says GEMS chief

A director at one of the leading private school groups has said that his organisation will be focusing in the near future on the foundation of 'affordable schools' in the UAE.

Speaking at the Global Education and Skills Forum held in Dubai this week Dino Varkey, chief operating officer at GEMS Education, said potential investors are misguided in thinking that a private school must be “expensive”.

He continued: “Unfortunately when a lot of the entrants into the market are financial investors, they don’t necessarily know the sector as well because they haven’t grown up here like we [GEMS] have.

“So there’s sometimes a misconception that a private school only means expensive.” Varkey said there was a need for more affordable schools in the UAE: “We certainly see a significant need for more ‘affordable’ schools - that’s a significant component of our expansion in the UAE,” he said.

The Global Education and Skills Forum was organised by GEMS together with UNESCO, the UAE government and the Commonwealth Business Council.