جيمس
Dubai-based operator of private kindergarten-to-Year-13 schools, with 52 schools in the UAE, Qatar and Egypt listed on its website and more than 200,000 students, founded by Sunny Varkey.
Industry: Private K-12 education | Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates | Founded: 1959
About جيمس
GEMS Education is a Dubai-based operator of private schools for children from kindergarten to Grade 12 and Year 13. Its website lists 52 schools across the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Egypt, offering American, British, International Baccalaureate and Indian curricula. The site says more than 200,000 students currently attend and that the group employs more than 17,000 people, including over 9,200 educators and school leaders.
The company dates its story to 1959. Wikipedia describes the business as starting as a family tutoring firm in Dubai, and reports that Our Own English High School opened in 1968, that Sunny Varkey took it over in 1980 and that GEMS was established in 2000 as Global Education Management Systems. Sunny Varkey is the founder and chairman. His son Dino Varkey has been group chief executive officer since February 2017, according to Entrepreneur Middle East.
Wikipedia reports that GEMS took over management of Kingdom Schools in Riyadh in 2010, opened a school in King Abdullah Economic City in 2012 and opened its first school in Qatar in 2014. In India, GEMS Education (India) is part of the Varkey Group, and IBEF reported in June 2026 plans to invest up to US$30 million there over three to five years.
In February 2026 GEMS partnered with the London College of Fashion, part of the University of the Arts London, to bring fashion and creative education to the UAE, according to Forbes Middle East. In May 2026 it launched GEMS Founders School Nad Al Hamar, the fifth campus in its Founders network, due to open in August 2026.
Gulf News reported in March 2025 that a consortium led by Brookfield Asset Management invested in the group in 2024, and Wikipedia reports that Azerbaijan's State Oil Fund announced a US$100 million investment in June 2024. Neither source gives the terms. On 4 June 2026 Khaleej Times reported Dino Varkey's plan to invest Dh2 billion over three years to add about 20,000 student seats, and said GEMS educates more than 146,000 students in the UAE.
Leadership
- Sunny Varkey, Founder and Chairman
- Dino Varkey, Group Chief Executive Officer