Abu Dhabi-based Aldar Education has revealed a “very ambitious expansion strategy” to increase its footprint across the emirate and into the wider Middle East and North Africa region.
The company, which recently reported a 25 percent increase in gross profit for 2020 to $33.2 million despite the economic upheaval caused by the coronavirus pandemic, added a further charter school to its portfolio this year – it currently boasts 20 schools and caters for over 25,000 students, up from 16,000 in the previous academic year.
CEO Sahar Cooper told Arabian Business future plans include expanding into the mid-market and affordable education sectors in the UAE, starting with Abu Dhabi, with further aspirations to launch in Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
She said: “What we have done as Aldar Education in the last two-and-a-half years is we’ve attracted a lot of attention. I think there are some regions that are looking to introduce quality education at different price points and they are looking at operators who can make that happen.
“As an Emirati-born company we are very proud to be taking the name forward and actually spreading the best practice to regions where Aldar Group also has expansion aspirations.
“Our plan is one region in the next couple of years and definitely no less than two regions in the next five years.”
Cooper added that, as part of the company’s five-year growth plan, they are working on both acquisition opportunities as well as greenfield sites. “We’re evaluating several opportunities and we hope one of them will materialise this year,” she said.
Throughout the Covid-19 period, Aldar granted a 20 percent discount to almost 7,500 students at its schools and invested approximately $2.7 million in technology including the provision of laptops and a distance learning education platform. While Aldar Academies established a $1.6 million hardship fund to support parents during the challenging times.
Sahar Cooper, CEO of Aldar Education.
It is almost a year since remote learning was introduced in the mainstream as a necessary precaution against the spread of Covid-19, tearing up the traditional teaching methods and consigning them to the history books, according to Cooper.
She said: “I think the traditional classroom environment will change. We need to invest more in flexible working models. While in-class education will not be banished, it will require a lot of amendments, such as blended learning and a blended learning environment within the school. It’s not a normal classroom education, we don’t see that happening more and more in the future.”
Cooper also revealed that the company has witnessed a “high percentage of retention” of teachers, while recruitment for the next academic year has also seen “huge demand”.
She said: “We have seen a huge number of applications for every single position we have advertised. Whether they are surplus in the country because of maybe lay-offs in other areas, or maybe because Abu Dhabi has been seen as a safe place to work and live, we have not struggled with recruitment or retention.”
Follow us on
