Meet Indian who once sold fruits, now one of Dubai's richest, aims to open Gulf's most expensive school with fees of Rs...

Sunny Varkey, one of the wealthiest Indians in Dubai, is the founder and executive chairman of GEMS Education, the world’s largest private K-12 school network. His entrepreneurial journey began at just 11 years old when he sold fruits on the streets to earn extra money, shaping his strong business mindset.

Now, GEMS Education is set to launch the Gulf region’s most expensive private school in the UAE this year. With an investment of USD 100 million, the GEMS School of Research and Innovation will be established in Dubai Sports City, offering some of the highest tuition fees in the world.

Early Life and Career
Born on April 9, 1957, in Kerala, India, Sunny Varkey grew up in a family of educators. His parents, Mariama and KS Varkey, were teachers who moved to Dubai in 1959 and founded Our Own English High School in 1968. He attended Infant Jesus Anglo-Indian Boys School and St. Mary’s Catholic High School in Dubai before completing his A-levels in the UK. He started his professional journey at Standard Chartered Bank but later ventured into various businesses, including trading, hospitality, and healthcare.

In 2000, he founded Global Education Management Systems (GEMS) to expand his family’s educational initiatives. The GEMS network now offers multiple curricula, including CBSE, ICSE, IB, British, and American programs. Today, Sunny Varkey serves as executive chairman, while his elder son, Dino Varkey, is the CEO, and his younger son, Jay Varkey, is an executive director and board member.

GEMS School of Research and Innovation
The new GEMS School of Research and Innovation in Dubai will feature world-class facilities, including a 600-seat auditorium, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, robotics and science labs, and AR/VR-equipped learning centers.

The school will have high tuition fees, starting at around Rs 27,27,533 (AED 116,000) in the early years, and increasing to Rs 48,43,723 (AED 206,000) as students advance. However, compared to some of the world’s most elite schools, these fees are still lower. For example, Institut auf dem Rosenberg in Switzerland charges about Rs 1.52 crore (USD 176,000) per year, while Woodside Priory School in California costs Rs 77.75 lakh (USD 90,000) annually, and Eton College in the UK has a yearly fee of Rs 22.24 lakh (£21,099).

Global Expansion and Net Worth
GEMS expanded globally in 2003, opening its first school in England, followed by India in 2004. Today, the group operates over 80 schools worldwide.

As of January 2025, Sunny Varkey’s net worth stands at USD 3.8 billion, according to Forbes. His contributions to education continue to shape the future of private schooling across the world.