People & Lifestyle World Bank to support Jordan’s social sectors The World Bank has approved $700 million programmes to support Jordan’s health, education and social assistance sectors. The $300 million Jordan human capital programme aims to improve the governance and effectiveness of social sectors, as well as safeguard households from the adverse effects of climate change. In addition, the $400 million Masar programme will equip […] July 2, 2024
Education Taaleem signs deal with UK’s Harrow for GCC schools UAE schools operator Taaleem Holdings has signed a deal with the UK’s Harrow School to own and operate Harrow International Schools across the GCC. The agreement marks Taaleem’s first foray into the super-premium school market. The first Taaleem Harrow School will open in the UAE, according to a statement on Monday, although no date was […] July 1, 2024
Education Brookfield to invest in Dubai’s Gems Education A consortium led by Canada’s Brookfield Asset Management is to invest in Gems Education, the UAE’s private school operator. Other members of the group include Gulf Islamic Investments, Marathon Asset Management and the State Oil Fund of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Financial details were not disclosed but the investment is expected to be almost $2 […] June 18, 2024
Education Alef Education shares drop 13% on first day Shares in Alef Education fell 12.6 percent after the company’s Abu Dhabi bourse debut on Wednesday. The education technology company had raised AED1.9 billion ($515 million) in an initial public offering (IPO) that was 39 times over-subscribed. The IPO was priced at AED1.35 ($0.37) a share, the upper limit of its range. However Alef’s shares […] June 12, 2024
Education Qatar’s rising population increases demand for schools Qatar’s growing population is fuelling demand for new schools as investors seek to capitalise on double-digit returns. The Gulf state’s population grew from about 1.45 million in 2008 to roughly 2.9 million last year and is forecast to reach 3.2 million by the end of the decade. That translates into a need for an additional […] June 6, 2024
Education Alef Education IPO 39 times oversubscribed Orders totalling more than $20 billion were placed at the IPO of Abu Dhabi’s Alef Education this week, leaving it 39 times over-subscribed. The company raised AED1.9 billion ($515 million) in its initial public offering, the company said on Thursday. It will become the first education technology business to list on a UAE stock exchange. […] June 6, 2024
Markets Alef Education valued at $2.5bn as IPO price range set Alef Education, the first education technology company to list on a UAE stock exchange, has set its initial public offering (IPO) price range between AED1.30 and AED1.35 ($0.35-0.37) a share. Accordingly, the market capitalisation on listing will be between AED9.1 billion ($2.5 billion) and AED9.45 billion on listing. The IPO subscription period starts on May […] May 28, 2024
Analysis Education Days of high returns numbered for investors in Dubai’s schools Dubai’s private school market, once a goldmine for investors, is no longer yielding the lucrative double-digit returns it used to, the chief executive of a leading school operator has said. Navin Valrani, CEO of The Arcadia School, told AGBI new investors considering the emirate must tackle significant entry barriers, escalating costs and an increasingly mature […] May 26, 2024
People & Lifestyle Alef Education to be first edtech with UAE bourse listing Alef Education plans to offer a 20 percent stake on the Abu Dhabi stock exchange, becoming the first edtech – education technology – company to list in the UAE. The selling shareholders, Tech Nova Investment, Sole Proprietorship and Kryptonite Investments, will offload 1.4 billion shares. NewsletterGet the Best of AGBI delivered straight to your inbox […] May 20, 2024
Education Dubai’s Amanat moves ahead with education platform IPO Amanat Holdings is planning for a potential initial public offering (IPO) of its education platform. The Dubai-listed healthcare and education investment company aims to monetise its education platform by creating a new holding company. Advisors have been appointed to explore the monetisation options to unlock significant shareholder value, the company said in a Dubai Finanical Market filing […] May 16, 2024
Analysis People & Lifestyle Education underspend dents Egypt’s long-term prospects Egypt’s failure to meet its constitutionally mandated spending on education – partly as a result of spiralling state debts – is hurting its long-term development. The country’s education sector plan for 2023-2027 estimates 1.5 million children were out of school in 2021 and that 250,000 additional classrooms must be built to accommodate the current school […] May 8, 2024
Education Cybercrooks have their eyes on Gulf schools, experts warn The education sector in the GCC has emerged as a prime target for cybercriminals because of budgetary constraints and a lack of expertise, tech experts have told AGBI. “Schools, in particular, are vulnerable due to their extensive storage of sensitive personal information and comparatively lower investments in cybersecurity,” said Ram Narayanan, country manager at Check […] April 30, 2024
Education Mena reaches for tech to upgrade results in education Demand for education technology, or edtech, is growing in the Middle East and North Africa as countries seek to bolster learning to drive economic growth. However, experts warned against excessive use of technology in classrooms, saying it could affect the attainment of basic skills such as reading and writing. Examples of edtech include interactive whiteboards, […] April 8, 2024
Education Taaleem profits rise with surge in UAE student numbers An increase in student enrolments by more than one-third helped UAE schools operator Taaleem achieve a 53 percent increase in annual profits for the first half of the 2023-24 academic year. Taaleem, which operates schools on behalf of the Abu Dhabi, Dubai and UAE federal governments, said student numbers across its portfolio of 32 UAE […] March 29, 2024
Opinion Education Saudi Arabia needs a sea change in higher education Newer fields of study must be encouraged to meet employment market demands February 12, 2024
Opinion Education Dubai v Dublin: UAE and Ireland battle for teachers Irish teachers are in demand both in the Gulf and at home January 31, 2024
Opinion Education Chasing the elusive gold star for Gulf schools Global education benchmarks are useful, but they don't tell the full story January 22, 2024
Education UAE teacher shortfall is looming ‘iceberg’ The UAE will need up to 30,000 more teachers by 2030, a shortfall that needs confronting, an expert has warned. The total number of students in the public and private sector in the UAE for 2020-2021 stood at 1.04 million. This is expected to increase to 1.25 million students by 2030. Based on this growth […] January 18, 2024
EXCLUSIVE Education Taaleem aims to double revenues after 60% profit rise Taaleem, the UAE schools operator, plans to double its revenues by 2028 by opening “at least one school every two years”, managing more government schools and diversifying into early years, its chief executive told AGBI. The company, which has low debt, has yet to deploy the proceeds of its AED750 million ($204 million) initial public […] January 16, 2024
Education Keen students enrol to bring Taaleem ‘record’ revenues Revenues at the UAE schools operator Taaleem grew by 11.5 percent to a record AED258.7 million ($70.4 million) in the first quarter of the 2023-2024 academic year ending November 30, compared to the same period in 2022-2023, it said on Friday. Taaleem, which listed on Dubai Financial Market stock exchange in November 2022, also posted […] January 12, 2024
Education Dubai kindergarten sector shows strong potential The number of children enrolled at nurseries, or kindergartens, in Dubai has risen 15 percent over the past year, the government said, pointing to increased investment opportunities in the early years education sector. The figures from Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) show that 250 “early childhood centres” operate in the emirate, 27 of […] January 5, 2024
Economy Dubai unveils $56bn plan to improve standard of living Dubai has unveiled a AED208 billion ($56.64 billion) ten-year strategy aimed at making the city one of the top three in the world for standard of living. There are also plans to double the number of Emirati families and triple the number of citizens working in the private sector by 2033. “We aim to double […] January 5, 2024
