Taaleem  

Taaleem Dubai

Taaleem (which is Arabic for "education") is an education investment company and schools operator in Dubai focused on UK, UK, and IB curriculum schools and early childhood centers. Taleem was first established in 2004 in Dubai as a Private Joint Stock Company (PJSC) to invest in the educational sector, and provided finances to Beacon Education in Dubai to open 4 new schools in Dubai in September 2005. In June 2007, Madaares, a subsidiary of the UAE National Bonds Corporation in the UAE, announced the acquisition of Taaleem & Beacon Education. The name Taaleem was later taken over by Madaares when it rebranded itself. Somewhere along the way, the name Beacon Education disappeared also although some Dubai residents still refer to Taaleem schools as Beacon schools.

List of Taleem schools in Abu Dhabi and Dubai

22 April 2012 - new Taaleem schools in Dubai (press release)

• A new Children's Garden nursery in Al Barsha, opening in September 2012.
• A new Uptown K-12 school in Mirdiff, opening in September 2012.

28 June 2011 - Number Works n Words UAE closed

• Information received from Taaleem said that Number Works and Words in Dubai and Abu Dhabi closed during Academic Year 2010-2011.
• It appears that NWNW locations in Australia, Philippines, NZ, UK are still in operation according to the NWNW website. A long way to travel from the UAE to do homework though.

11 May 2010 - New Taleem schools development suspended

• An Arabian Business report of comments from the Taleem CEO, Ziad Azzam, said development of three new schools had been put on hold or delayed - "Three [schools] have been put on the backburner. There's Al Furjan School with Nakheel, the Dubailand project and a third in Bahrain,"
• The Durrat Al Bahrain school might open in 2014-15 but revised dates for the other two schools were not supplied.

Taaleem school fee increases 2010-2011

• In March 2011 the Dubai Executive Council (DEC) ruled that Dubai private schools were not permitted to increase fees for 2010-2011.
  • A follow-up statement sent to the press from Clive Pierrepont, Director of Communications at Taaleem said: "We will fully support the regulators’ decision but are still waiting for an announcement from the KHDA to clarify last week’s statement. However, effective schools have business plans that are realistic of fee income and will fine-tune them according to any minor variables that occur. Our financial plan is aligned with our school development plans, the sole purpose of which is to further enhance the standards of education and opportunities available in our schools. We value the fact that the regulators, have in the past, recognised this alignment of plans and we hope are working towards a system of deregulation that will enable excellence to be pursued without constraints. We know that the regulators also recognise the demand for further parental choice in Dubai. ... We welcome a time when each individual school’s case for a fee adjustment is judged on merit. If and when deregulation occurs, we hope that by then, parents will have sufficient information and choice to be able to discriminate and choose between the 'profiteers' and 'pioneers' in education. Taaleem applied for fee adjustments for just two of its schools."
  • We said "Eh? What did he say?"
  • Presumably Mr Pierrepont categorises Taaleem as a 'pioneer' but unknown which education providers he thinks are 'profiteers.'
• In February 2010 the UAE Ministry of Education (MOE) reportedly permitted some schools to increase fees for the 2010-2011 academic year. Not clear if any Taaleem schools were included. Some GEMS schools fees were increased.

Taaleem background and history

• 2004 - Taaleem established as a PJSC to provide a finance vehicle for Beacon Education schools. Capital at launch of AED 125m, with future plans to raise AED 1 billion.
• February 2005 - announcement that Taaleem joins up with Beacon Education to provide financing for the first four Beacon schools to open in Dubai in September 2005.
• April 2005 - Taleem and Dubailand announce a new flagship school development (Dubai Education City?) to be built in Dubailand with an investment of AED 800 million to build 5 new schools on a 2.5 million sq ft plot of land near Dubai Academic City. The complex would include a nursery / early childhood school, a primary or elementary school, 2 secondary or middle/high schools, and a junior college. Day and boarding facilities would be available, and also a youth hostel for visiting students. The facility would also be the headquarters for Taaleem and Beacon Education. First buildings would open sometime in 2008. A Teacher Training Institute was also mentioned in the press release at the time. A later press release announced a new school in Al Furjan in Dubailand, unknown if it was referring to the same complex.
• February 2006 - Madaares established and says they plan to open 14 new schools by 2012, and a total of 20 schools in the Middle East eventually.
• September 2006 - Raha International School in Abu Dhabi opened. RIS offers International Baccaluareate (IB).
• March 2007 - Arabian Business reports that Madaares is about to buy a "leading British schools operator" and "two Emirati school operators" according to comments from the chairman, Nasar Al Sheikh.
• June 2007 - Madaares acquires Beacon Education & Taaleem.
• September 2007 - Greenfield Community School, another IB school, opened in The Green Community in Dubai.
• September 2007 - Al Furjan community school announced in a partnership between Nakheel and Madaares. Planned opening in 2010.
• May 2008 - Madares renames itself as Taaleem.
• June 2008 - Al Khayyat, Rasmala Investments and RHT Partners buy 13% of Taaleem. Total Al Khayat investment in Taaleem is 25%.
• July 2008 - the new Taaleem school in Bahrain will offer UK National Curriculum and IB. It will be located in Durrat Al Bahrain and will be a LEED accredited building (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).
• July 2008 - a report in the Business Management ME magazine said "Taaleem currently stands at a total of six schools, but has plans to build 20 schools by 2016."
• September 2009 - the first Taaleem school outside the UAE expected to open, in Bahrain

What? Say that again? How are Taaleem, Beacon, and Madaares connected?

Beacon Education was established first, as an education management company but it had little money. Taaleem was established next, by willing finance providers, to fund Beacon Education schools. Madaares was established next, as an investment company to buy and/or develop schools. Madaares liked Beacon and Taaleem so it bought them, and later renamed itself as Taaleem. The founding CEO of Beacon now runs the new Taaleem (ex-Madaares).

Taaleem profit or non-profit?

With regard to the question of why Taaleem is a profit-making organisation, a report in The National 28 July 2009 obtained an answer: Asked why Taaleem was not created as a not-for-profit entity, Mr Azzam was frank: "Anyone who is going to put their money in any venture expects a return. Now there are checks and balances to ensure that parents are getting value for money."

Taaleem profile and contact details

Taleem management and personnel

• Academic Development Project Co-coordinator / Director - Keith Sedgwick (start date at Taaleem 01 September - announced in December 2008 press release). Moved to Dubai Gem School as Principal in August 2010.
• Chief Education Officer - Dr Samia Al Farra (from September 2009, announced March 2009)
• Chief Financial Officer - Kapil Kapoor
• Deputy Chief Education Officer of Development - Dr Sadru Damji
• Deputy Chief Education Officer of Operations - Elizabeth Loadwick
• Director of Academic Development - Dr Sadru Damji
• Director of Business Development - John Stow
• Director of Communications and Marketing - Clive Pierrepont (appointed December 2008)
• Director of Projects - Tom Matthews
• Principal Designate Flagship School - Angela Hollington. Principal of Dubai Gem School from 2009-2010, then principal at Green Field Community School. She was also part of the IB Teacher Training Program at Taaleem.

Last update Sunday 29-Apr-2012

Related pages

• Beacon Education - information about the company
• Beacon schools list - old list retained for information archive
• Dubai education providers - list of other school groups in Dubai and the UAE
• Madarees - what Taaleem used to be

Related websites (new window)

• www.taaleem.ae - Taaleem Dubai website, www.taaleem.com belongs to a Saudi based school or educational organisation (presumably unrelated to Taaleem Dubai), and www.taaleem.org belongs to a Bahrain/UAE based management consultant (also assumed to be unrelated to Taaleem Dubai).
• Dubai directory - add your link free

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