As schools across the UAE prepare for the upcoming academic year, GEMS Education has announced a significant milestone: its lowest teacher attrition rate in history. By dropping to roughly 17 percent—well below the 25 percent average typically seen in international schools—the organization has bucked the trend of high turnover in the competitive global education sector. CEO Dino Varkey attributed this success to a focused effort on rewarding top talent and maintaining high levels of employee engagement, noting that the group’s internal Net Promoter Score has reached an all-time high.

The positive retention figures were paired with a successful recruitment cycle, which saw 1,550 new teachers join the group, bringing their total educator community to over 10,000. While hiring remains a challenge in the current market, Varkey emphasized that the process felt steady rather than frantic, marking a shift from previous years. With family retention also remaining robust at roughly 85 percent, the group is now setting its sights on long-term growth, planning to invest Dh2 billion to add 20,000 new student seats across the UAE over the next three years to meet the country's rising demand for education.