Letter to Sunny Varkey

This is the letter that was sent to Mr Varkey along with the signed petition:




Thursday, 15 October, 2008
Sunny Varkey
Founder and Chairman
GEMS Education


Jumeirah Primary School – achieving a brilliant future or sliding into mediocrity
Dear Mr Varkey,
We write to you as protagonists of “for-profit” quality private education, business leaders and foremost as the parent community of the Jumeirah Primary school, JPS.

We fully acknowledge the increasing pressures placed on the school’s economic model, and hence the school’s management, from:
increased operating costs (teacher salaries and accommodation, utilities, rents, ...)
fee caps imposed by the Ministry of Education limiting JPS’s ability to bring fees up to the level of sister GEMS schools in Dubai
intense demand for places at JPS (primarily due to the excellent reputation of the school)

We have however, been greatly disappointed by the way GEMS has implemented the decision to increase class sizes at JPS yet again:
Poor timing – the decision was made during the summer with most parents already committed to another year at JPS
Poor communication – parents only found out about increased class sizes when they walked into class rooms on the first day of school. This has led to an atmosphere of rumours, and further fuelled the perception that Abraaj Capital’s involvement with GEMS will ultimately impact the quality of GEMS education.
Poor subsequent handling ­– responses to many parent queries over the past few weeks have been impersonal, avoided transparency and assumed that parents would “just fade away”.

Sadly, GEMS has missed a great opportunity to openly share its challenges with a very powerful and influential parent body and harness “parent energy and creativity” to help JPS bridge the period until fees are brought up to the required levels for adequate profitable return.

So we find ourselves in a situation where the trust and goodwill built over years within the adult JPS community has been seriously betrayed and instead that “parent energy and creativity” is now being channelled against the school. Increasingly interactions between staff and parents are becoming bitter and hostile; the children are losing their pride in JPS as they overhear parent rumblings at home and at school drop-offs; a web blog is up and active and many parents have registered for other non GEMS schools for next term/year.

JPS remains one of the most admired schools in the GEMS portfolio and in Dubai, but the school is at a very critical juncture in its evolution and positioning within the community. You have personally stated that GEMS “has a singular, uncompromising commitment to communities, parents and students - to prepare the next generation for the challenges of a brilliant future”.

We urge you to intervene and to cap class sizes to 20 for FS1 - FS2, and to 24 for Years 1–6, through a freeze on new places being offered as well as natural wastage. Thereby, demonstrating your personal commitment to JPS, your willingness to work with the parents to refocus on quality, heal the wounds and putting JPS back on track by keeping the educational as well as the health and safety levels at their excellent best!

We are available for a “Chairman-Parent” meeting at any evening of your convenience in October and look forward to your response



The Parents of JPS




Cc: Arif Naqvi, Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Abraaj Capital