Pioneer educationist Mariamma Varkey passes away

Our Correspondent

GEMS Education Group founder and chairman Sunny Varkey’s mother Mariamma Varkey passed away in Dubai on March 31. She was 89 and bed-ridden for several years.

“We are sad to announce the passing of Madam Mariamma (Amina) Varkey, beloved mother of our Founder and Chairman Mr. Sunny Varkey. Madam Varkey is warmly remembered as a beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. A pioneer in education whose impact transcends generations,” read a statement from GEMS Education.

The funeral will be held at the Jebel Ali Marthoma church on April 5.

Madam Varkey, as she was known, was one of the first Indian women to arrive in the UAE and among the oldest to continue living in the country.

The former primary school teacher was among the pioneers of the education system in the UAE. She had moved to Dubai from Ranni in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala with her husband K.S. Varkey in 1959. Her husband worked with the British Bank Middle East. Initially, she taught English to local children. The couple founded the Our Own English High School in 1968.

One main concern of many Indian expatriate families in Dubai then was their children’s education. Dubai and the other Trucial States were yet to develop to what it is today. The school, which started with 27 students and three teachers in a rented building in the Al Bastakiya area of Dubai, expanded exponentially in five decades and created an educational network in the UAE and beyond.

In 1980, her son Sunny Varkey took over the operation of the school. He established the GEMS group in 2000.

Among her former students are Dubai royal family members including the Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Fondly known as Ammachi to thousands of her employees, she shared a special bond with them.

She is survived by her son Sunny Varkey and daughter Susan Mathews.