GEMS Education announces Dubai’s ‘most expensive’ school’s founding principal
Veteran school leader to shape vision of GEMS School of Research and Innovation
Dubai: GEMS Education has named internationally respected educator James Monaghan as the CEO and founding Principal of GEMS School of Research and Innovation (SRI), which is dubbed the most expensive school in Dubai with yearly fees going up to Dh206,000.
Monaghan brings over 30 years of global leadership experience across the UAE, UK, USA, and South Korea. Most recently, he led North London Collegiate School in Dubai and South Korea.
His appointment marks a milestone for SRI, a school designed to redefine premium education through innovation, academic excellence, and state-of-the-art AI technology, GEMS Education said.
Monaghan said the role is a “defining moment” in his career. “I can hardly wait to start build a thriving, inclusive SRI community where innovation, creativity, and world-class scholarship thrive at the core of everything we do,” he stated.
Sunny Varkey, GEMS Education Chairman, said: “James’s vision and global expertise will shape a school that sets new benchmarks for elite education.”
Set up at a cost of $100 million in Dubai Sports City, the UAE-headquartered group’s flagship school set to open in August made global headlines in January upon its launch announcement. It appointed Lord Hague of Richmond, former UK Foreign Secretary and Chancellor of the University of Oxford, as its Honourary Patron last month.
Described as one of the “finest schools in the world,” SRI offers an enhanced British curriculum, world-class faculty, and exceptional facilities, according to GEMS Education.
Students of SRI will be the first to receive the Group’s $1million ‘Next Billion Innovation’ start-up fund, a new initiative designed to empower and support GEMS students in delivering the next big solutions with the potential to make a global impact.
Booming education sector
Dubai now has 227 private schools, educating 387,441 students from 185 nationalities, according to the latest figures released by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA). The booming education sector saw a record 12% increase in enrolment in 2023–24, followed by a further 6% growth in 2024–25, aligning with the Dubai Education Strategy 33’s goal of opening 100 new schools by 2033.
In the past two academic years, 15 new private schools have opened in Dubai. KHDA is currently reviewing over 20 applications for new schools scheduled to open within the next two years, offering families wide range of choices.
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