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Durham School for Girls in Doha, Qatar. Image Courtesy: Partners Group
Dubai, UAE: International Schools Partnership (“ISP” or “the Company”), a leading global K-12 school platform, has invested in its tenth school in the Middle East, as the Company further establishes its presence in the region. ISP was founded by Partners Group, one of the largest firms in the global private markets industry, in 2013.
The latest school to join ISP’s platform is the Durham School for Girls in Doha, Qatar. Following completion of the acquisition, ISP will have two international schools in Abu Dhabi, three in Doha, and five in Dubai, educating over 14,000 children. These UAE based schools are all rated “Good” or “Very Good” by the relevant local regulatory agencies and have achieved numerous international accreditations.
Since acquiring its first school in the Middle East in Dubai in 2016, ISP has seen significant growth in demand for high quality education. This has been driven by several tailwinds, including the rise of the Middle East as a global business hub, leading to a steady rise in families looking for private K12 education providing international curricula; favorable demographics amongst local communities; and the growth of the region’s tertiary education offering. The arrival of international tertiary education institutions means that local and international families in the region increasingly have access to a full international education solution in these markets.
In line with the growing potential of the education market in the Middle East, ISP has developed greenfield schools in the region. These schools typically have larger campuses, often at more than 250,000 sqf, as well as state-of-art learning facilities, technology, and strong extra-curricular opportunities. ISP has developed a strong track record in improving learning outcomes and student experiences across the globe and has leveraged this expertise in its schools across Abu Dhabi, Doha, and Dubai.
Bharat Mansukhani, Divisional CEO for Middle East & Asia, ISP, says: “At ISP, we are creating a group of aspirational schools that deliver a truly international experience for its students. In the Middle East, we focus on building an inclusive environment that is conducive for our students to access opportunities in their schools and across our global platform to achieve superior learning outcomes. This aligns well with the goals of our regulators and also with parents from within local and international communities that reside in the Middle East. Our unique ‘learning first’ approach aims to develop all aspects of our students’ learning experience, with a strong focus on the individual’s academic progress, language and life skills acquisition, and participation in a host of international learning opportunities, such as the ISP Chess, ISP MUN, ISP Math, and ISP ‘I am a Scientist’ competitions. The Middle East is an exciting region for ISP as it continues to attract families from other markets and remains a top work destination for talented international teachers and leaders. We have ambitious plans to increase our footprint in our existing markets as well as other Middle East cities as we look ahead towards 20 schools.”
Suhail Albaz, Chairman Middle East, Africa, and Central Asia, Partners Group, says: “We are incredibly proud of ISPs’ growth both globally and in the Middle East. Its development is a prime example of our transformational investing approach, where we identified a thematic growth area and subsequently built a leading business through a combination of acquisitions and organic growth. In the Middle East, ISP’s ‘learning first’ philosophy and inclusive environment fits closely with regional education requirements.”
Led by Mansukhani, ISP has over 1,800 employees in the Middle East, including educators and operations staff, with regional headquarters in Dubai. ISP has 98 schools across 24 countries globally, with a total pupil population of over 95,000 children.
About Partners Group
Partners Group is one of the largest firms in the global private markets industry, with around 1’800 professionals and over USD 150 billion in overall assets under management. The firm has investment programs and custom mandates spanning private equity, private credit, infrastructure, real estate, and royalties. With its heritage in Switzerland and its primary presence in the Americas in Colorado, Partners Group is built differently from the rest of the industry. The firm leverages its differentiated culture and its operationally oriented approach to identify attractive investment themes and to transform businesses and assets into market leaders. For more information, please visit http://www.partnersgroup.com/ or follow us on LinkedIn.
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Insight Discovery
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