During the holy month of Ramadan, GEMS Education is holding a range of activities and performances across its network of schools that also celebrate the Year of Tolerance.
GEMS Education is placing emphasis on teaching core values, with the introduction of an ongoing initiative to link home and school, titled ‘GEMS Jewels of Kindness’ which encourages students to being kind to each other and their family members.
The activities also draw on KHDA’s programme called ‘What works’ which uses the latest in thinking and research to drive school improvement and promote innovation. Accordingly, students from GEMS Heritage Indian School have developed a digital tolerance meter ‘Toler-O-Meter’, which they recently presented at IMG World of Adventure.
The meter tracks and measures teacher and student tolerance levels on a scale of one to five, where one is least tolerant and five is most tolerant. The school uses this data to assess how happy classes are, on the basis that tolerance results in happiness.
Brendan Law, Senior Vice President of Education said: “The various activities organised in Ramadan, and reflecting the values promoted by the ‘Year of Tolerance’ aim to instil a culture of kindness and compassion among our students. The success of these activities also owe to the cooperation and support of parents, teachers and our support-staff, who encourage our students to do good deeds that make a positive difference in the lives of others.”
Multiple schools in the GEMS network including GEMS Dubai American Academy, GEMS Metropole School and GEMS Wellington Primary School, have set up ‘Ramadan Charity Fridge’ on their premises. Support staff, students and teachers regularly stock up the ‘Fridge’ to distribute the food to workers in the vicinity. In addition, GEMS Metropole parent council is making care packages for its entire support-staff including drivers, cleaners and security with the help of donations from parents.
During the month of Ramadan, the theme of tolerance has been adapted creatively in the form of theatrical productions. GEMS Modern Academy held a play entitled ‘I am Zara Amaya’, about the journey of a young girl from childhood to adulthood, who battles all odds, accepts challenges and emerges resilient. The show was put together in three days and brought together over 350 students from Grades three to 12 in a unique performance that blended poetry and acting.
Ahead of Ramadan, GEMS Heritage School teamed up with Dubai Health Authority’s blood donation centre, and held an in-school blood donation drive, on the basis that each unit of blood donated can save up to 3-4 lives. This activity came as part of a humanitarian agenda which underlines The Year of Tolerance and the value of help.
Schools such as GEMS Cambridge International School, GEMS Royal School Dubai and GEMS Wellington Primary School are giving care boxes, provided by Red Crescent Charity, to those in need throughout the month of Ramadan. Parents and children can donate items for these such as clothes, toiletries and food, in support of the wider GEMS Jewels of Kindness programme, which identifies four pillar values – respect, empathy, help and compassion.
GEMS Westminster School Ras Al Khaimah has created its own ‘Ramadan Food Basket’ charity initiative, where parent body members are demonstrating the Jewels of Kindness qualities – respect, empathy, help and compassion – by collecting donated items and distributing them to multiple charities across Ras Al Khaimah.
