The UAE's largest private school operator, Gems Education, has recruited nearly 2,000 teachers from 57 different nationalities as part of its preparations for the new
academic year. Dino Varkey, the group's Chief Executive Officer, announced the hiring of 1,850 new teachers during a media roundtable in Dubai on Tuesday. Varkey noted that this figure is slightly lower than last year's recruitment numbers due to successful staff retention efforts.
Varkey shared these insights at the annual Gems Awareness Day, an event that welcomes new teachers to the organization. He mentioned that the majority of the new recruits are British, followed by teachers from India and Egypt.
In response to the growing demand for education, Gems Education is also opening two new schools and expanding several existing ones. "We are opening a branch of Gems Founders in Abu Dhabi's Masdar City and another in Dubai South," Varkey said. "The Founders model has been highly successful, and we've seen significant demand for it."
The new schools will increase the total number of institutions operated by Gems Education in the UAE to 44. The decision to open a new school in Dubai South was driven by rising demand from the local community, according to Dr. Saima Rana, Deputy CEO of Gems Education. "We saw thousands of parents visiting the school during open days last weekend," she said.
Gems Founders Dubai South will initially accommodate 500 students, with plans to eventually serve over 4,000. The new school in Mizhar will start with 1,000 students, with future expansions planned to more than double its capacity.
In addition to opening new schools, Gems Education is also increasing the capacity of existing schools. Gems World Academy, for example, has opened a new building for its senior school, adding 1,200 seats for students in Grades 9 through 12. "Last year, we had a significant waiting list, so we decided to expand to meet the demand," Dr. Rana explained.
Overall, Gems Education has added over 4,200 new seats across its schools, with total enrollment expected to exceed 140,000 students by the start of the new academic term.
For some new teachers, this marks their first experience in Dubai, while for others, it's a return to familiar ground. Martin Green, a mathematics teacher, has just arrived from the UK to take up his position as Head of Department at Gems Cambridge International Private School in Sharjah. "It's my first time working in the UAE, and I'm excited to bring my expertise here," he said.
For Jordanian teacher Rana, joining Gems felt like coming home. An alumna of Gems Cambridge International School Dubai, she grew up in the UAE before relocating to Jordan. "Fourteen years later, I'm back where I started," she shared, expressing her excitement about teaching English to students in Grades 9 to 12.
Varkey also revealed that Gems Education received an astonishing 600,000 applications over the past year, with only 0.3 percent of applicants being selected. He emphasized that successful candidates were chosen not just for their subject knowledge, but for their passion for teaching and their dedication to working with children. Photo by Mostafameraji, Wikimedia commons.
