With 80% of all new jobs created in the next decade being in STEM fields, and with a growing requirement for many professions to have some practical STEM knowledge, Premier Genie provides a platform bridging the gap between theoretical and hands-on learning via in-school and after-school programmes.

STEM education focuses on encouraging students to explore various aspects of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in a hands-on fashion, nurturing creativity and fostering innovation among students.

Ideally, STEM education would be integrated in schools’ science and maths curricula across the board and carried smoothly into university. Premier Genie provides a STEM platform that meets this need, bridging the knowledge gap by integrating concepts of physics, mathematics and biology via project-based learning.

As part of after-school programmes across all the GEMS schools, students learn about market disruptors such as robotics, 3D printing, and coding.

By working with all the stakeholders — students, parents, school administration, science teachers, and communities — to generate awareness on STEM and its importance, efforts are being made to ensure that enough skilled resources are available to cater for future demands.

Organised workshops for teachers and students ensure that students can solve challenging tasks offered by STEM Olympiad, First Lego League (FLL) and World Robot Olympiad (WRO), and so on. The Dubai STEM Olympiad, organised by Premier Genie, is a six-month event that starts in October.

GEMS Education students regularly participate in the STEM programme, the STEM workshops, and STEM Olympiad, run in association with the maths and science departments. STEM labs at a number of GEMS Education schools offer students an atmosphere to work on various science and maths-related projects and nurture their creativity during school as well as after school hours.

Recently, students from GEMS Education schools excelled in national and international competitions such as STEM Olympiad, SCAT — Johns Hopkins Programme for Talented Youth, SAT and PSAT. Trisha Raichura, a former Jumeirah Primary School (JPS) student and Rishi Lolla from GEMS Wellington International School received the High Honours award from Johns Hopkins University for their excellent performance in SCAT test.

The 2017-2018 edition of the STEM Olympiad was won by Samuel Nadar and Akshita Praveen (GEMS Modern Academy).