Megha Chowdhury (Mumbai)

In what’s widely being interpreted as one-upmanship, Gautam Adani, chairman of the Adani Group of infrastructure construction and management companies (ports, airports, highways), ranked India’s second wealthiest individual (net worth $63.2 billion) and among the Top 25 globally by the US -based Forbes business magazine, has stolen a march over Mukesh Ambani, ranked #1 with a net worth of $95.4 billion (Rs.839,500 crore). On the occasion of the marriage of his son Jeet on February 7, Adani announced an education CSR (corporate social responsibility) initiative of game-changing possibility.  

Ten days later, Adani inked an agreement with Sunny Varkey, Chairman of the Dubai-based GEMS Education described by Forbes as “the largest operator of private kindergarten-to-grade-12 schools in the world, with a network of over 80 schools in over a dozen countries”. Moreover, Varkey is a billionaire in his own right with a net worth estimated by Forbes at $3.5 billion and among the first magnates to sign the global Giving Pledge vowing to donate at least half his wealth to philanthropic causes during his lifetime. This partnership of munificent billionaires intends to establish state-of-the-art upscale English medium K-12 schools in India with the first one in Lucknow slated to admit its first batch in July this year.

“At least 20 more” at a budgeted cost of Rs.2,000 crore, will become operational during the next three years. Globally benchmarked infrastructure for academic, co-curricular and sports apart, the distinguishing feature of the Adani-GEMS Schools of Excellence is that 30 percent of capacity will be reserved for gifted children from EWS (economically weaker section) households who will be provided free-of-charge education.  

“This initiative reflects our commitment to making world-class education affordable and widely accessible. By adopting global best practices and innovative digital learning through our partnership with GEMS Education, we aim to equip the next generation of change-makers to become socially responsible leaders of India,” said Adani in a press statement (February 17). 

 Added Sunny Varkey in a brief interview with your correspondent:  “Our mission has always been to make quality education accessible to every learner, regardless of her socio-economic background. This  collaboration agreement with the Adani Foundation will strengthen our reach and impact, and enable us to provide our global education expertise to learners and teachers in diverse regions of India.”

This high-potential ambitious enterprise is being helmed by Francis Joseph, an alumnus of Mumbai University who previously served for 15 years in senior management positions with the transnational Ryan International Group which has promoted and manages 134 K-12 schools in India and the Middle East, and was appointed Executive Director of GEMS Education India in 2023.

“This partnership offers us a unique opportunity to integrate the advanced industry technologies and skills of the Adani group with the global K-12 schools management expertise of  GEMS Education in our unprecedented joint venture. It’s pertinent to note that GEMS Education has unique experience of implementing and managing the syllabuses/curriculums of over a dozen examination boards worldwide. This combination of technology and skills and curriculum enrichment will be invested in our new Adani-GEMS Schools of Excellence,” vows Joseph  who says he is “excited about his new role as CEO” of this high-potential partnership in K-12 education.

Undoubtedly by launching this ambitious socially beneficial initiative in school education to celebrate his son’s marriage, Adani is one up in the public esteem compared with Mukesh Ambani, whose lavish celebration on the marriages of his three children drew considerable adverse comment from leftists and woke liberals for conspicuous consumption and epicureanism.

However even with the global schools management expertise of Varkey and his sons Dino and Jay who head the global operations of GEMS Education, it will be a long haul before the new Adani GEMS Schools of Excellence will be able to best the CISCE, Cambridge (UK) and International Baccalaureate-affiliated Dhirubhai Ambani International    School, Mumbai (estb. 2003) in the public perception. DAIS is acknowledged by IB, Geneva as among the Top 10 IB schools worldwide, and has been routinely ranked India’s #1 international day school in the annual EducationWorld India School Rankings — the world’s largest and most comprehensive school rankings survey — for over ten years. 

Meanwhile, the imminent competition likely to be posed by Adani- GEMS schools to DAIS is certain to do India’s laggard school education system a world of good.