A Moment With
A Moment with Sunny Varkey
Founder and Chairman, GEMS Education
Founder and Trustee, Varkey GEMS Foundation
By Carolyn Lee
“I believe that a person who has been educated will also understand
the importance of educating their own children, so the impact of a
quality
education
will
flow
through
from
generation
to
generation.”
~ Sunny Varkey.
M
r Sunny Varkey’s name is
synonymous with excellence
in education. He is hailed
as a visionary education
entrepreneur, who has contributed
significantly to the development of
education in the UAE, the MENA
region and indeed the world.
Mr Varkey is the Founder of GEMS
Education, a family owned business
that has been in operation for the past
55 years. He is also the Founder of the
Varkey GEMS Foundation, which is the
philanthropic arm of GEMS Education
and the organisation behind the
ground breaking Global Teacher Prize.
Having moved to Dubai at the age
of 2 from Kerala, India, Mr Varkey
has witnessed first-hand, the rapid
and significant development of the
Emirates and the region, especially as
it relates to the education landscape.
His Alma Maters include a Catholic
boarding school in Kerala, St. Mary’s
Catholic High School in Dubai, and
the Bembridge School in the UK. He
completed his studies at The British
Council in Dubai.
Under his dynamic leadership, GEMS
Education today boasts a global
network of award winning schools.
He has also forged meaningful
partnerships with the World Economic
Forum, Microsoft, UNESCO, the
Clinton Global Initiative, the Tony Blair
Faith Foundation, Pratham and Dubai
Cares.
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Through The Varkey GEMS Foundation
and his position as a UNESCO Goodwill
After The Bell
Ambassador, Mr Varkey, continues
to work diligently to help to provide
access to education for some of the
world’s most underprivileged people.
Teach UAE Magazine invites you to
get to know a bit more about the man
whose organisation has been credited
with playing a key role in developing
private education in the region.
How did GEMS Education come
about?
In 1968, my parents opened Our Own
English High School in Dubai to fulfil
the demands of an increasing expat
community. At that time, Dubai mainly
focused on local Arab schools. This
presented expats with a challenge of
having no schools to put their children
in. We expanded that school in 1980
and started to build a network of