DUBAI – The market for English-medium, K-12 international schools in the Middle East continues to grow, with total number of schools reaching 1,597 with a little over 1.1 million students.

“The international schools market is not yet saturated as some believe; there remains a great opportunity especially in the mid-market, more affordable education sector; as well as for schools offering specializations as SEN, sports or bilingual learning,” said Sarah Palmer, Marketing and Conference Director, Tarsus F&E LLC Middle East, organisers of GESS Dubai, which will host a briefing on the challenges and opportunities associated with teacher recruitment vis-à-vis the expected growth in numbers of international schools in the region.

Held in partnership with the UAE Ministry of Education and under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, GESS Dubai will take place from today (Feb. 27) to March 1 at the Sheikh Saeed Halls of the Dubai World Trade Centre. Registration is free for education professionals who will be given CPD certificates for attending.

According to the latest data from ISC Research, the leading provider of market intelligence on international schools, the top destinations in the Middle East for English-language, K-12 international schools are UAE (627), Saudi Arabia (257), Qatar (166) and Turkey (118).

In the UAE, the number of international schools has grown by 6.3% since 2013, while enrolment has grown 9.2% over the same period. Income generated from school fees has also breached the $4.7 billion mark, making this sector a sunshine industry for the Emirates.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia is expected to see tremendous growth in the future once the law allowing 100% foreign ownership of education comes into effect, opening a pathway for future investors to enter the market. This year, GESS Dubai welcomes the biggest Saudi presence to date with the participation of the Ministry of Saudi Arabia, QIYAS (Education Evaluation Commission), Colleges of Excellence and other key companies.

Addressing the full spectrum of the education sector, the Middle East’s leading education show will also highlight the ongoing globalization of the higher education sector with Abhishek Sharma, founder and CEO of Foundation Holdings, offerings insights on improving college affordability, increasing graduation rates and paving the way for a digital higher education in the future. In addition, vocation education will be a key focus at the show with the participation of the biggest German and UK pavilions offering a range of vocational and higher education products.

Over 200 presentations and inspirational talks by leading education, technology, leadership experts as well as innovators and business leaders will take place at GESS Dubai 2018 in different categories such as Neuroscience in Education, Future Learning, Innovation stage, Leadership Stream, Education in Action and GESS Talks Arena. — SG