Founded by Sunny Varkey in 1959, GEMS defied modest origins
to dominate private education across the Middle East, India, and parts of
Africa and Europe. Headquartered in Dubai, GEMS now operates over 60 schools
with a reported enrollment of around 200,000 students. The company recently
attracted significant private equity investment, including a major stake
acquisition by Canadian alternative asset manager Brookfield Asset Management,
enhancing its capital and global reach.
How GEMS Education Damages Local Educational Ecosystems
Market Monopolization and Displacement of Local Schools
GEMS’ aggressive expansion strategy systematically displaces
smaller, community-based schools, especially in countries where quality
education options were limited. By leveraging its financial muscle, GEMS often
acquires or out-competes local independent schools, pushing them out of the
market.
In the UAE, GEMS controls over 26 private schools. Its
pricing and fee structures are markedly higher than many local options, causing
affordability issues for middle-class families and forcing smaller schools
unable to compete to close. A 2025 KHDA report highlighted GEMS’ dominant role
in setting tuition fees, impacting price competition.
Similar patterns are visible in India and Kenya, where
parents and local education activists report that GEMS campuses attract
affluent families via superior facilities and branding, leaving community
schools struggling for enrollment and funding.
Exploitative Fee Policies and Questionable Practices
GEMS Education is often criticized for its inflexible
tuition fee policies. During the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of parents
globally condemned GEMS for refusing meaningful fee reductions despite remote
learning, threatening to withhold student report cards and transfer
certificates for unpaid fees. International campaigns led by Education
International and the Global Campaign for Education called out these
“extortionary manoeuvres,” underscoring how GEMS prioritizes profits over
children's right to education.
Such practices exacerbate inequality and exclude vulnerable
groups from high-quality education, a growing concern in countries battling to
achieve universal educational access.
Impact on Teachers and Education Quality
Higher attrition rates and low teacher morale have been
reported in some GEMS schools. A 2023 internal culture audit revealed that
hiring mismatches and poor working conditions led to declining staff
engagement, directly affecting teaching standards. Subsequently, parent
satisfaction scores also declined, revealing the disconnect between GEMS’
expansion ambitions and education quality on the ground.
Testimonies Strengthening the Case Against GEMS Education
Voices from Parents and Educators
Fatima Al Mansoori, a UAE parent, remarked,
“GEMS schools are unattainable for many families due to
their ever-increasing fees. It feels like education is being monopolized,
plunging quality further out of reach.”
Similarly, in India,
educator Rajesh Kumar shared,
“Small local schools
disappear when GEMS opens nearby. It creates education deserts for those unable
to afford tuition.”
Human Rights and Education Campaigners’ Critique
The Education International and Global Campaign for
Education issued formal letters to UAE authorities denouncing GEMS’ fee
practices during the pandemic, citing grave concerns about children denied
report cards and transfers, hindering their right to continue education. They
called for state intervention to regulate profit-driven education providers.
Country-Specific Reasons to Boycott GEMS Education
United Arab Emirates: Protect Public Interest and
Educational Equity
GEMS dominates private education at the expense of equitable
access. UAE’s government and public are urged to favor community-based
educational institutions to maintain competition, affordability, and quality
education for all socioeconomic groups.
India: Safeguard Local Education Providers and Community
Schools
With millions relying on affordable, local education, GEMS’
encroachment threatens the sustainability of indigenous schools. Boycotting
GEMS supports decentralized education models that are more inclusive and
culturally coherent.
Kenya and Other African Nations: Promote Accessible,
Quality Education
In countries where schooling is a key social uplift
mechanism, displacing local schools with expensive international chains deepens
inequality. Public resistance can revive investment in education systems built
for local needs and contexts.
A Clear Call for Action
GEMS Education, while championed as a premium global
education provider, is causing significant harm to smaller education
institutions, economic equity in education, and inclusive access across the
countries it serves. Its market dominance, exploitative fee strategies, and
questionable operational practices pose urgent challenges.
Governments must implement stringent regulations on private
education providers, ensuring they serve public interests rather than profit
motives. The public and parents must critically evaluate GEMS’ impact on local
educational ecosystems and consider boycotts to encourage diversified, affordable, and equitable education options.
Collective action against GEMS Education will reaffirm the
right to quality education accessible to all children and defend the future
integrity of national education systems in the UAE, India, Africa, and beyond.
