Dubai schools chain selects Nairobi base (Business Daily (Kenya))

A Dubai-based chain of international schools, GEMS Education, has designated Kenya as its headquarters for Africa operations.The education network which runs the local elite school GEMS Cambridge International, has also announced expansion plans to neighbouring countries.”Kenya will be the headquarters for GEMS Africa office,” said regional director for Africa Suhayl Esmailjee at a Press briefing in Nairobi on Thursday.As part of its growth plans, GEMS plans to set up additional schools in Kenya and Kampala targeting different categories of customers, and make its West African debut through Lagos in Nigeria.”Over the next 10 years, GEMS plans to open multiple new schools across different curricula and price points in Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria which have been chosen as priority one markets,” said Mr Esmailjee.GEMS identified Ghana, Tanzania and South Africa as priority two markets in Africa. The education managers plan to offer both the British curriculum and Kenya’s 8-4-4 education system in the different countries.GEMS Cambridge opened a S billion Nairobi campus two years ago. The institution has a premium British school in Kampala in addition to the upper mid-market school in Kenya.As part of the different curricula they offer, GEMS Education have schools ranging from mass market, targeting the low-income bracket, to premium plus, for the high-income clients.