GEMS, the private education provider has said that it will shut down its Westminster school in Dubai. This is one of the largest child learning centers in the Emirate, with more than 4800 pupils aged five to eighteen attending. GEMS sent a letter to the parents of the pupils stating that the facility would need to shut down and that the students will be given priority placement in other GEMS institutes which could be as far away as Ras Al Khaimah.
“In recent times our ability to invest the resources required to produce the improvements needed, both educationally and in infrastructure, have been severely restricted because of the current fee structure. We simply cannot offer a high quality education at this level that we see as our duty to provide. Indeed, salary increases during the same period have been at a level higher than any fee awards” GEMS executive director Dino Varkey stated in the letter that was forwarded to the parents of the pupils studying in the school. GEMS operates around sixty private schools across various regions including the Middle East, India, Europe, Africa and US.
Many parents were furious and upset that the school has suddenly decided to shut down in June 2014, providing the parents with little time to scour for a new school for their wards. The parents were more upset on learning that in October later this year, GEMS stated that it planned to open around ten new schools in the region of Dubai over the next two years so as to tap into the lucrative education sector in the Middle East. It is hoped that the pupils do not have to suffer due to the harsh decision of management at such short notice.
