Expats Paying $33,000 School Fees Fuel Rise of Dubai Billionaire

At GEMS World Academy in Dubai, kindergarteners have access to iPads and students spend time at the school’s 70-seat planetarium. That all comes at a cost — fees that can rise to $33,000 by grade 12. It’s the most expensive in the chain run by Dubai’s GEMS Education, which is among the world’s largest private school operators. Founded by Indian born billionaire Sunny Varkey, GEMS caters to every price point, starting at as little as $3,900 a year. But a boom in the emirate’s financial sector has meant Dubai is...