[6], Founded and headquartered in Dubai, GEMS has offices in the United Kingdom, the United States, Singapore, India, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Kenya, and the United Arab Emirates. [155], In 2004 GEMS acquired the site for Sherfield School – the historic estate Sherfield Manor in Hampshire, set on more than 70 acres. He is a passionate education entrepreneur who is the driver behind GEMS’ mission to advance education for all. [184] Facilities include science labs, mathematics lab, computer science lab, swimming pool, indoor sports courts, dance studios, and music rooms. 'We take care of you,' says the founder of the Varkey Group, 'from the cradle to the grave.' [11][13][19] The company states that GEMS aims to equip children to live in a multicultural environment, and stresses the importance of giving back to others both locally and globally. Sunny Varkey is Former Chairman/Founder at GEMS Education Solutions. [118] In 2015 the school, which follows the British curriculum, was recognized as the top school for Arabic in Dubai, in the Education Perfect global language-learning competition's second year to include Dubai. [7], GEMS Education had its roots in a family tutoring business in Dubai started by Indian-born teachers K.S. As of 2015, his elder son Dino Varkey is an Executive Director of the GEMS Education Group and a Board Member of GEMS Education; Sunny's younger son Jay Varkey is an Executive Director of the GEMS Education Group and a Board Member of GEMS Global. [101] In February 2015 GEMS launched the Blended Learning Plaza, housed at its GEMS Wellington Academy–Silicon Oasis, located in Dubai's Silicon Oasis; the facility provides the latest technology in education, enabling collaborative, online, and blended learning opportunities. [169] In 2007 GEMS announced the sale of Kingswood College in Lancashire to developers, citing the high costs of maintaining its premises, Scarisbrick Hall, a historic 19th-century Grade I listed building;[170] local supporters purchased it and kept it open as a school. [279] Facilities include a theatre, music and art rooms, a dance studio, sport halls, a football field, swimming pools, and basketball courts. ", "Clinton opens GEMS American Academy-Abu Dhabi", "GEMS American Academy in Abu Dhabi to host basketball skills clinic with Kobe Bryant", "UAE's NBA fans meet basketball legend Kobe Bryant", "NBA star Kobe Bryant set to enthrall UAE fans", "GEMS students chosen for forensics contest", "Microsoft names GEMS Cambridge International School–Dubai as the only Global Pathfinder School in the UAE", "GEMS Education School places first for Arabic in Dubai in global language learning competition", "Registration begins for new Gems sports school", "GEMS creates UAE's first ever school of sport", "Kingdom Schools announces tie-up with GEMS Education", "Kingdom Schools - Turning around schools in Saudi Arabia", Company Overview of Kingdom Schools Company, "Eng. As of 2015 the school catered to play-school through year 7, with day and day-boarding options. Son of Indian expat teachers who migrated to Dubai in 1959, Sunny Varkey controls GEMS Education, the world's largest operator of K-12 schools.With more than 250 schools worldwide, the private education firm counts the Blackstone Group among its key investors. [92][110] An International Baccalaureate school, its enrolment consists of approximately 2,000 students from more than 80 nationalities. 619 likes. Sunny Varkey rings the bell to celebrate listing of GEMS Education Sukuk on NASDAQ Dubai ... Their son, Sunny, added a visionary’s ambition to a practitioner's experience. [259][261][262] GEMS invested €5 million for a five-year large-scale expansion, redevelopment, and modernization of the school, making additions including new class buildings and dormitories, a school restaurant, a large entertainment auditorium featuring a theatre with a symphony orchestra pit, a music studio, and a large sports complex. When in 1980 local authorities insisted that Our Own English High School be housed in a purpose-built facility, the Varkeys' son Sunny Varkey took over the operation of the school, which taught less than 400 students at the time. View the profiles of people named Sonny Varkey. [11][64] In 2014, the foundation's Teacher Training Programme committed to train 250,000 teachers within 10 years in under-served communities across the world. He and his elder sister returned to Dubai in 1970, and Sunny completed his O-Levels at St. Mary's Catholic High School. In 2004, Varkey's GEMS group opened its first schools in India. Through its consultancy arm, GEMS Education Solutions, the company works internationally with public and private sector clients on school improvement initiatives. Mr. [273][274] The school has audio and film recording studios, and a 750-seat auditorium and a planetarium were scheduled to be completed by 2017. [50] The program has aimed to prevent dropping out and under-achieving among girls; students participate more in these classes, in contrast to the standard system of learning by rote, and the video system also cuts down on teacher absenteeism. This appointment came when Sunny Varkey sold a 20% stake in GEMS' emerging-markets business – covering the Middle East, North Africa, and East Asia – to a consortium of investors led by Fajr Capital and including Blackstone and Mumtalakat Holding Company. Friends recently expressed an interest in sending their son to the school attended by Princes William and Harry in Kensington. [12], According to the company, GEMS schools aim to instill students with universal values, and to form graduates who are global citizens with leadership qualities. [8] The discovery of oil in Dubai in 1966 brought in many foreign workers to the undeveloped emirate, including many from the Indian subcontinent. Indian Certificate of Secondary Education, Programme for International Student Assessment, Department for Children, Schools and Families, "Exclusive Interview: GEMS Chairman Sunny Varkey Talks Profits And Philanthropy", "Early days of Varkey schools: it was a management challenge", "Entrepreneur Seeks to Offer High-Quality Education at Fraction of Cost", "Sunny Varkey banks on Centum Learning to revive India business", "World’s Biggest Private School Operator GEMS Seeks $1 Billion", "No-Frills Public Schools: Independants' Day", "A Look Inside Downtown Chicago’s Newest School". [79] C. N. Radhakrishnan is Senior Executive Director, Head of Chairman's Office, and a Board Member of GEMS Education. American Institute of Architects Chicago. Varkey was born in Kerala, India in 1957. [191][192][193] The school's capacity is 2,000 students, including boarders, from kindergarten through year 13. [15][41] As of 2014 it was the world's largest single-location girls school, offered an Indian curriculum, and had a waiting list of several thousand. [183] It offers a dual curriculum of either Indian (CBSE) or British (CIE) options. [11][19][35] The more expensive schools have more spacious grounds and amenities such as golf and tennis facilities, and smaller class sizes. If you want to choose a school that is $10,000, you have it. [8][12][13] The education situation in Dubai was ripe for expansion, since local schools were only for native Arabs, and the children of the ever-increasing number of expats needed education of their own. Varkey founded the company in 1979, and it is based in Dubai, with additional offices in the UK, U.S., and India. Dikshu, Arunima at a party thrown by Sunny Varkey after his felicitation with Padma Shri Award in New Delhi. We are honored to be involved in their projects. [151][152] In 2014 Webber Independent was academically the best-performing school in Milton Keynes in GCSEs,[153] and in 2015 it increased its scores despite nationwide downward trends in GCSE results. His Father, KS, and mother, Miriamma, were Kerala Christians, educators. [279] The school planned to grow to 1,500 students within five years, eventually accommodating 3,000 students.[279][281]. The education situation in Dubai was ripe for expansion, since local schools were only for native Arabs, and the children of the ever-increasing number of expats needed education of their own. [11][37], GEMS has two divisions: schools and educational services. The discovery of oil in Dubai in 1966 brought in many foreign workers, including many from the Indian subcontinent; with the increased demand for an English-language education for the children of Indian expatriates, Varkey's parents founded Our Own English High School in Dubai in 1968. 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