Stress-tested, standing strong: Inside UAE schools' resilience

ECOSYSTEM REVEALS A ROBUST, FUTURE-READY EDUCATION FRAMEWORK

- BY SAJILA SASEENDRAN Chief Reporter

rises do not build resilience. They reveal it. When Iranian aggression prompted UAE authorities to require schools to shift to remote learning with minimal notice, what followed was not a test that the education sector had to prepare for in the moment.

It was the result of years of deliberate, methodical investment in digital infrastructure, teacher capability and contingency planning. The outcome spoke for itself. Lessons continued. Students logged on. The system held.

It was yet another testimony to how far the UAE's private school sector has come in building a genuinely robust, future-ready education framework that can absorb disruption without fracturing.

Gulf News examined how the country's largest education groups are structured, resourced and prepared. The responses revealed an ecosystem that has quietly matured into one of the most digitally resilient, perhaps across the world.

Built over years

The starting point for understanding the UAE's school readiness is recognising that what looks like a rapid response is, in reality, the surface expression of something built over many years.

"Over the past decade, we have invested heavily in digital learning ecosystems and resources across GEMS schools," said Baz Nijjar, Senior Vice President for Innovation, AI and Futurism, and Managing Director — Intelligence 360, GEMS Education.