Page 8 - T4 Education PR REPORT - August 2024

Press Release

UAE’s Nargish Khambatta named Finalist for inaugural Asia

Education Medal

Founded by T4 Education and HP, the new award will be given to an outstanding individual
who has demonstrated impact, leadership, and advocacy in the field of education

August 7, 2024: The UAE’s Nargish Khambatta, Principal and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of
GEMS Modern Academy, has been named among the ten Finalists of the inaugural Asia
Education Medal. Founded this year by T4 Education and HP, the new award will be given to
an outstanding individual who has demonstrated impact, leadership and advocacy in the field
of education.
The Asia Education Medal recognises the tireless work of those who are transforming
education across the continent, celebrating the stories of those who have lit the spark of
change so others will be inspired to take up the torch. It is given to an outstanding individual
who has demonstrated impact, leadership and advocacy in the field of education.

The winner of the Asia Education Medal will be invited to attend the World Schools Summit,
which will be held in Dubai on November 23 and 24, 2024. In recognition of the urgent need
to solve the teacher recruitment and retention crisis to tackle learning gaps, the winner will
be entitled to nominate a school of their choice to receive membership of T4 Education’s Best
School to Work programme, an independent, evidence-based mechanism to certify schools
for their culture and help them transform their working environment to attract and retain the
best teachers.

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