The Chairperson of GEMS Education and the founder of the Global Teacher Prize, Sunny Varkey has launched a global representative body for independent schools and has named it GISA ( Global Independent Schools Association). The organisation was created as an initiative to share knowledge and improve the outcome of the education sector. It has been planned and developed as a partner for achieving United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 which emphasises ensuring equitable and inclusive education for all students by 2030. Varkey has requested independent schools across the country, estimated to be 340,000, to join him in this mission. “Any policy discussion on education or the future economy that doesn’t include the independent sector is missing out on a vital perspective from schools that, each day, see in sharp detail the challenges and the opportunities experienced by India’s young people.
This frontline expertise of educating children from vastly different backgrounds will make efforts to improve education throughout the world more effective,” Varkey stated. More than 50 per cent of secondary school students and more than 13 per cent of primary school students in India study at independent institutions, according to World Bank Records. GISA plans to tap into the resources of the varied staff, coming from myriad backgrounds in independent schools. Supporting the GISA initiative, the Director of Education and Skills for the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Mr. Andreas Schleicher stated, “Getting the independent sector to raise its voice in service of the public good is hugely important. Tomorrow’s economy will be unforgiving for those without a strong education and skills for the future. Unless the independent sector joins others – governments, businesses, NGOs – to work out how we educate and skill up a new generation, valuable expertise will remain siloed, and solutions will be lost.”
According to UNESCO estimates, more than 350 million students study at independent institutions. The GISA initiative plans to create a platform where resources can be co- created and shared by its members, along with research, events, and workshops that empower one another. GISA also plans to hold annual conferences where governments, businesses, NGOs, and leading educational thinkers can come forward and discuss their trailblazing ideas. “From important areas such as supporting the professional development of teachers to the latest uses of technology in teaching and learning, we can make an even greater impact on education by working together,” stated the Chairman of the GISA Executive Board and the CEO of Nord Anglia Education, Mr. Andrew Fitzmaurice. GISAs Executive Board comprises of Sunny Varkey, Founder of GISA; Andrew Fitzmaurice, CEO of Nord Anglia Education; Nadim Nsouli, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Inspired Education; Dino Varkey, CEO of GEMS Education and Frank Maassen; Group CEO of Cognita; Brian Rogove, Group CEO of XCL Education. The association aims to have the attention and attract members from diverse setups ranging from single-classroom private schools in low-income countries, schools operated by charities, and foundations to schools belonging to multinational chains.
