Dubai: GEMS Education, the Dubai-based international education provider, yesterday announced the appointment of a leading US educationalist, Thomas B. Farquhar, as principal of the new American-curriculum school which will open next year in Dubai.
Farquhar, who has led the Sidwell Friends School in Washington, DC, USA for more than four years, will join GEMS in the 2014-15 academic year to lead the development of the new K-12 GEMS Academy which will open to students in September 2015.
According to a statement by the GEMS, Farquhar will help spearhead the new school’s mission to offer an enriched American curriculum focused on developing the necessary intellectual, emotional, social, creative and physical skills in students to enable them to think critically and tackle global challenges. Enrolment for the school will open in 2014.
The new GEMS school will be one of the most prestigious schools in the region, offering an unparalleled level of education, facilities and support for parents, led by an experienced team from some of the world’s most storied schools.
Farquhar himself has led some of the most prestigious K-12 schools in the United States and his appointment highlights GEMS’ commitment to offer top quality education and prepare a new generation of global citizens for a rapidly changing world.
“Tom Farquhar’s rich experience in developing modern curricula to answer modern challenges has prepared some of America’s top students for a rapidly changing world,” said Dino Varkey, Group Chief Operating Officer and board member of GEMS education.
Noting his enthusiasm to join the GEMS team, Farquhar said, “My greatest excitement about coming to GEMS is in helping the organisation develop the new criteria of excellence in international education, to focus on critical thinking, and the cultivation of human imagination and creativity, particularly in the realm of problem solving.”
