THE BUSINESS OF EDUCATION - International Indian

[ COVER STORy ]
Sunny Varkey with former Indian PM Rajiv Gandhi and...
...Indian Superstar Amitabh Bachchan
GEMS World Academy and low budget
Our Own English High School in Dubai.
You pay more for a better meal with your
flight, a more comfortable seat and extra
leg room. But everyone gets to the same
destination. It isn’t about compromise he
insists. “We’re all about quality. Within the
educational sphere, teachers play a very
important role, so even in a budget school if
the teacher is good you will be able to deliver
the kind of grades that are necessary
to send a child to a good university. Everybody
is making money, the people who
supply the equipment are making money,
the people who conduct the inspections are
making money, the contractors are making
money, so why shouldn’t educators?”
Sunny is unwittingly right in the centre
of what is known as the “Adam Smith Problem”.
The challenge of trying to combine
altruistic human motivation with the free
market capitalist economy. Adam Smith,
though a philosopher, is often identified
as the father of modern capitalism. In his
book The Wealth of Nations, he talks about an
‘invisible hand’ in society that is defined as
natural self interest that would lead us to
improve the lot of others.
Varkey, perhaps unaware, clearly subscribes
to many of the ideas expressed in
The Wealth of Nations. “At all our schools,”
Varkey points out, “when parents pay
money they expect value and service - and
we’re always on the cutting edge of service.
If I want to attract parents, I have to provide
the right infrastructure, technology and
teachers. Unless I deliver what I promise,
I’m not going to be successful. We don’t do
any cost cutting. In fact with all the economic
problems around us, we are probably
the only ones who increased the salaries by
AED 40 million last year… it was in the
newspapers. Even this year we increased
salaries by ten percent.”
“We are probably the oldest for profit education
chain in the world. Obviously there
will always be two schools of thought in education.
But I always tell people I will have
the last laugh because my objective is that
the children and parents get value for money.
I’m not here to run crappy schools.”
As society debates the pros and cons
of ‘for-profit’ versus ‘non-profit’ schools,
Sunny continues to fiercely believe in education
for all, rich and poor. He gives away
chunks of his fortune to the poor and needy,
drawing his inspiration from the Bible every
morning before getting on with the business
of the day. Varkey believes that poverty can
only be eradicated through education.
Bigheartedness combined with astute
business acumen is Varkey’s trademark.
He personally pledged an astonishing
AED 100 million to the Ruler of Dubai,
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin
Rashid Al Maktoum’s ‘Dubai Cares’ education
initiative. GEMS has also been the
lead sponsor by giving 250,000 pounds for
the ‘Read India’ initiative started up by an
NGO called Prathim, with the aim of providing
basic education to 100 million children
in India. GEMS is also now managing
22 State schools in Abu Dhabi, and have
similar plans in Doha, Bahrain and South
Africa, as well some initiatives with the
World Bank.
Sunny Varkey is indeed a pioneer. He is
tilling new ground in the field of education,
pulling out the weed of apathy, corruption
and wastefulness from ‘state’ and ‘trust’
schools, and sowing the seeds of universal
values into private schools and collecting a
rich harvest. As he ploughs it back, we have
to wait and see what fruits are borne in the
next generation that is being bred on unequal
playing fields.
Mona Parikh McNicholas is Associate Editor
and Frank Raj is the Founder Editor of
The International Indian
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THE INTERNATIONAL INDIAN