GEMS Education today set a new milestone by hosting its largest-ever teacher induction day with 2,445 passionate educators from around the world being welcomed to its network of 44 schools across the UAE and Qatar.

GEMS Awareness Day serves as an important platform for integrating new teachers into the GEMS family, with this year celebrating the largest intake of fresh talent in the 64-year history of the group.

As an internationally recognised employer of choice, GEMS attracts educators from around the world who share a passion for delivering exceptional teaching and learning experiences. Many of this year’s new hires have relocated from abroad – chiefly from the UK, US, and India – and are already settling into their new school communities.

Additionally, GEMS has made strong progress with its Emiratisation programme in support of the UAE government’s strategy, introducing 196 Emirati nationals into its team for the new academic year, which begins on Monday (28 August).

GEMS Awareness Day 2023 was attended by the most senior members of GEMS’ leadership, including its visionary Founder, Mr Sunny Varkey, who spoke of the crucial importance of teachers in an ever-challenging, fast-changing world.

Mr Varkey said: “It is you who will build a bridge from the present to the future, taking us from where we are to where we want to be, turning our dreams into reality. It is also you that will help the next generation to face what are perhaps the biggest challenges in history – sweeping technological changes, growing inequality, and of course climate change.

“Your burden is great, your purpose is clear, and your choice is noble. I am truly honoured to meet all of you today. Thank you for choosing to be teachers. And thank you for joining GEMS Education.”

Buoyed by favourable economic conditions and its strong reputation and legacy, GEMS Education has seen positive enrolment trends in 2023. The recent launch of a new school in Dubai, GEMS Metropole School – Al Waha, exemplifies the organisation’s continuing commitment to delivering transformative education to the families of the UAE.

Group Chief Executive Officer, Dino Varkey, said: “At GEMS, we go to great lengths to hire the best teachers in the world, and provide a stimulating and rewarding environment for their careers to thrive. Our recruitment teams interview thousands of educators to ensure that we hire outstanding teachers to deliver a quality education to our learners.

“It gives me great pleasure to welcome all our new teachers to the GEMS family and I wish them an excellent start to the new academic term.”

The new intake of teachers spans the full range of year groups from kindergarten and Foundation Stage to post-16, and covers British, IB, US and Indian curricula.

The theme for this year’s GEMS Awareness Day was sustainability and the event highlighted many eco-friendly initiatives and its alignment with the UAE’s Green Education strategy.

GEMS’ sustainability commitment includes ensuring all teachers are UNCC Climate Literacy certified by October 2023, with the journey towards this goal due to be presented at the upcoming 60th anniversary of United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) in Geneva.

Dr Saima Rana, Chief Education Officer at GEMS Education, said: “Fostering a zero-waste society is one of the five pillars of our long-term education strategy. As educators, we have a responsibility to teach young people to be guardians of the planet and use their skills, intellect, and ingenuity to create solutions that will solve global challenges. 

“As a nation, we have the privilege of hosting COP28 this year, and GEMS students and teachers will have the opportunity to play a part in this historic event. Sustainability and climate literacy will be merged into all core curricula, underpinning the way we teach, learn and, ultimately, the way we live.”

GEMS schools have taken an active lead on sustainability and green campaigns through a number of student-led projects. All have initiated a plastic-free approach, removing single-use plastic bottles and bags, while minimising plastic packaging through recycling and reduction efforts (‘Plastic free in ’23’).