Page 65 - T4 Education PR REPORT - August 2024

UAE’s Nargish Khambatta named Finalist for inaugural Asia Education Medal - Middle East News 247

Nargish Khambatta is the Principal and CEO of GEMS Modern Academy, an independent international
school in Dubai, UAE, which was named in the Top 10 shortlist for the World’s Best School Prize for

Innovation 2023.

Having integrated technology and entrepreneurship into its curriculum, the school has seen a 37 per cent

year-on-year rise in student participation and national and international collaborations with the likes of DFC,
SAP and Microsoft.

Recognising the need to prepare students for an uncertain future, GEMS Modern Academy introduced a
number of technological innovations into its curriculum and practices to include the region’s first online report
card system, developed entirely by students and teachers. The school also introduced a Bring Your Own

Device (BYOD) programme, as part of which students from Grade 2 onwards bring their own learning
devices.

In 2015-16, after sending teachers to Carnegie Mellon University for training in Science, Technology,
Engineering, Arts and Maths (STEAM) and technology integration, the school incorporated the disciplines
into classrooms. Furthermore, after partnering with Harvard Project Zero, the school developed thinking
routines and a multidisciplinary approach

towards innovation, known as the future’s curriculum method, which has been adopted by several other
schools.

Altogether, this has led to an entrepreneurial mindset that the school fosters. Starting in primary school with
Unit of Inquiry projects and moving on to Challenge-Based Learning in middle school and the school’s Prism
Project and Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme in senior school, GEMS Modern Academy

provides what it calls a scaffolded strategy for developing critical thinking, problem-solving, design thinking
and a growth mindset.

Khambatta’s outstanding leadership led her to receive the first-ever GEMS Exceptional Head of School
Award in 2018.

Her philosophy is that all children should be given ample opportunity to discover their self-worth, interests
and passion in a secure and happy environment, which helps them grow into confident young adults with a
sound intellectual and moral compass to guide them to their goals.

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