Dubai-based Leams Education recently announced the launch of its latest school in Karama – and CEO Nabil Lahir revealed plans to expand the company’s portfolio further.
Lahir has also dismissed suggestions the emirate could suffer from over-provision of schools.
He told Arabian Business the group, which currently boasts six schools in the emirate, is looking to have between six and eight additional schools in the UAE as part of its five-to-eight-year plan. This also includes opportunities for growth into emerging markets.
He said: “We want to have schools in South Dubai area and there is also the Northern Emirates. We plan to have a school in Ajman in the near future.
“Our immediate focus will be in the Middle East, but we also have plans in Africa.”
According to Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) there are 210 private schools in the emirate catering to more than 279,000 students across 15 different types of curricula.
However, Lahir pointed towards the government’s recently announced Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, which aims to increase the emirate’s population from just 3.3 million today to 5.8m over the next two decades, and stressed the subsequent need for the necessary number of schools required in order to cater to such growth.
He said: “We are only at half right now of what is expected. Looking into those goals I think there is a lot of scope for schools here in Dubai. You need to think of the longer-term.”
Last week, Leams Education announced the launch of its sixth school – the Apple International Community School (AICS) – in Karama.
Launched under the banner of ‘high-quality education at an affordable cost’, discounted fees for the British curriculum school, from FS1 through to year 6, range from AED14,500 for the year through to AED17,000.
“There is a demand for affordable schools,” said Lahir. “Since our assets are either owned or alternatively leased government-owned historic schools in Dubai, which are strategically based in the residential and community driven areas where we can ensure our Capex and Opex is well balanced, we are able to pass on the benefits of our efficiency towards affordable education and contribute towards the future global citizens, ‘our students’,” he added.
AICS, which will have an initial school role of 1,500, features a campus equipped with latest technology, a dedicated STEM lab, ICT/innovation Lab, resourceful library, performing arts and an extensive sports facility to include a variety of activities such as football, swimming pool, cricket, badminton/tennis and basketball.
And Lahir revealed that, despite the challenges posed by the ongoing coronavirus crisis, teacher recruitment has not posed any particular problems.
He said: “Already we have recruited some of the teachers and already our senior leadership is on board.”
© Arabian Business
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