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Education

Education news from the Middle East and beyond. All the important stories, exclusive interviews, plus authoritative opinion and analysis

UAE financial literacy

UAE is in ‘first division’ of financial literacy

The UAE is in the ‘first division’ when it comes to financial literacy, according to Alex Fraser, CEO of the London Institute Banking and Finance (LIBF). With just one third of adults worldwide being financially literate, according to Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services Global Financial Literacy Survey, the LIBF is involved in the global challenge […]

Emirati PhD science student Ayesha Abdulla of Khalifa University is recognised for her research converting CO2 to fuel

Emirati student offers solution to combat global warming

An Emirati student is blazing a trail for female participation in science with her pioneering research that aims to offer a cost-effective way to help combat global warming. Ayesha Abdulla Alkhoori, a PhD student of materials science and engineering at Khalifa University, was one of five women from across the GCC to be recognised by […]

Top UAE university launches tender to house students

Companies have been invited to bid for a new public private partnership tender to deliver the accommodation and associated facilities for 3,250 students in Abu Dhabi. The Abu Dhabi Investment Office (Adio), in collaboration with Khalifa University, launched the tender as part of a framework for expanding the role of the private sector in delivering […]

Taaleem CEO plans UAE schools expansion after $204m IPO

Taaleem, the first education company to be listed on the Dubai Financial Market (DFM), is planning to launch new premium school projects in the UAE “in the near future” following its successful initial public offering (IPO). The company is also on a global search for the world’s best teachers as it announced net profit increased […]

Saudi education

Saudi courts world’s universities to meet rising demand

Rapid population growth, changing workforce needs and a preference for citizens to study in their own country is fuelling demand for higher education places in Saudi Arabia.  A total of 2.8 million seats are needed by 2030, according to research by consultancy Colliers. The figure represents a 42 percent increase, or 900,000 additional places over […]

Learning passport
  • Opinion

How technology can power lifelong learning

The analogue approach can no longer keep pace with student or employer demands. Data management is the answer to enable real-time and lifelong learning

Taaleem

School operator Taaleem up next in string of Dubai IPOs

UAE schools operator Taaleem Holdings is the latest in Dubai’s string of initial public offerings (IPOs) as the emirate continues to open up key state-owned assets for investment. Dubai’s privatisation drive this year to raise revenue and boost investor interest includes the listing of 18 percent of utility company Dewa on the Dubai Financial Market. It […]

Dubai school operator Taaleem sets IPO price range

Dubai schools operator Taaleem Holdings has announced a price range of between AED2.95 and AED3 ($0.80- 0.82) per share for its upcoming initial public offering. The company plans to list up to 25.32 percent of its share capital with the set price range implying a market capitalisation of between AED2.96 billion and AED3 billion at […]

Proposals for Bahrain Metro by Spanish consultancy IDOM. The light rail project will be developed by public-private partnership

Private sector urged to step up to build homes, schools and clinics

The GCC’s private sector should carve itself a bigger role in infrastructure delivery, according to Cyril Lincoln, executive vice president and global head of real estate, finance and advisory at Dubai-based Mashreq Bank. There is plenty of work to go around: the region has more than $121 billion of so-called social infrastructure projects planned or […]

Taaleem operates in one of the fastest-growing premium K-12 markets in the GCC

UAE’s Taaleem to raise $204m from IPO on Dubai bourse

Taaleem Holdings, the UAE-based K-12 premium education provider with 26 schools, will launch an initial public offering on the Dubai Financial Market to raise AED 750 million ($204.19 million) to expand its network. The company will offer 10 percent of its shares to retail investors starting November 10 and 88 percent to professional investors on […]

Workers across the Gulf are heading online to hone their professional English language skills
  • EXCLUSIVE

English language skills top of learning list for UAE workers

An online course in English for career development from the University of Pennsylvania has emerged as the most popular course in the Mena region and among the top five courses in Gulf countries. In addition, a course in how to write professional emails in English from the Georgia Institute of Technology ranked among the five […]

Metaverse

‘The metaverse can change the way we school our children’

Some schools still rely on more traditional teaching methods but an Emirati entrepreneur believes the metaverse has the potential to extend the physical classroom experience. Using blended learning options such as augmented and virtual reality technologies, Amin Al Zarouni, CEO of UAE-based Web3 company Bedu, is aiming to give the Gulf’s education system an overhaul. […]

Dubai’s GEMS Education owners mull $6bn stake sale

UAE-based private school operator GEMS Education is planning to sell a  controlling stake in the business or a market listing in a potential exit route, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Private equity firm CVC Capital Partners and GEMS founder Sunny Varkey may sell their stakes, which could be valued at as much […]

Person, Human, school pupil
  • Analysis

Class act: UAE is a magnet for private school investment

The post-pandemic rise in migration to the UAE is fuelling demand for private schools, making the Emirates a “magnet” for investors and school operators, industry experts have said. The UAE’s population grew by one percent in 2021, according to the World Bank. The country’s population currently stands at 9.89 million people and is projected to […]

Back-to-school is big business after home learning era

The 2022 back-to-school season is forecast to be the best in history – and it’s typically the second biggest spending event for parents globally, behind holiday expenditures. Parents are forecast to spend a record amount this year, in a bid to treat their children, after two years of coronavirus pandemic uncertainty brought normal school life […]

Dome, Building, Architecture

Aldar says retrofit project to save $11m per year in energy costs

Abu Dhabi-listed Aldar Properties’ retrofit project will save AED 40 million ($10.89 million) per year in energy consumption costs, with the developer reporting it reduced energy consumption by 20 percent in 2021. In its  2021 Sustainability Report, the company said that the group’s retrofit project is the largest of its kind in the UAE and […]

The Saudi Arabian Football Federation wants to grow women's football at home and across Asia

Saudi Arabia’s next goal: women’s sport

Likely Saudi investment in an overseas women’s football team  Kingdom may fund other sports such as athletics Sector’s contribution to Saudi GDP is $7bn Just five years ago, Saudi women were banned from watching football at stadiums. Fast forward to 2022 and Saudi Arabia has officially announced its intention to bid for the 2026 AFC […]

golden visa Esaad card

Mixed reception for UAE’s Golden Visa discount programme

Some experts accuse initiative of being mere ‘window dressing,’ while others praise its ingenuity Dubai has bolstered its Golden Visa scheme with associated discounts to help attract high-level entrepreneurs, doctors, academics and creatives to its shores. The government announced this week that it would provide its Esaad privilege card – originally only for public sector employees […]

Amin Magrabi, CEO

Vision giant Magrabi eyes IPO and global expansion

Magrabi Retail could be set for international expansion and an upcoming IPO, according to Amin Magrabi, CEO of the Middle Eastern ocular powerhouse.  With 142 stores, an estimated market share of 40 percent, 1,350 employees and revenue of $220 million a year, Riyadh-headquartered Magrabi Retail plans to double in size by 2025. “International expansion is […]

Person, Human, Audience

Who is Konstantin Sidorov?

Konstantin Sidorov is an international entrepreneur and investor with over 25 years’ experience in building, developing and restructuring businesses within the tech sector.  He has successfully built and sold several IT businesses. In 2016 he sold the Eastern European division of RRC Group to a leading US-listed distributor Ingram Micro. In 2020, he sold his […]

Dubai school operator Taaleem in preliminary talks for IPO

Dubai school operator Taaleem is in preliminary talks with banks for an initial public offering in Dubai, two sources told Reuters, a transaction that would test market appetite for UAE’s education sector. The private education sector in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is recovering from a slowdown during the peak of the coronavirus pandemic. Schools […]