GEMS Education teams up with Mumbai’s Cresmonde Schools to boost four campuses

GEMS Education, one of the world’s biggest private‑school groups, has signed a strategic partnership with Mumbai‑based Cresmonde Schools. The deal covers Cresmonde’s two existing campuses in Vikhroli and Kalyan and adds two new schools slated for Malwani and a second site in Kalyan. Cresmonde brings a Finnish‑curriculum partner and a goal of giving its pupils international exposure. Under the agreement, GEMS will apply its global brand, curriculum expertise and operational know‑how to raise teaching and learning standards at all four sites. The collaboration is the first time GEMS is working with a local operator in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Both parties say the tie‑up will blend local relevance with global best practices to meet the hopes of parents and students. Francis Joseph, India CEO of GEMS, said the partnership offers a chance to combine local roots with worldwide connections and to broaden curriculum options. Anita Dewoolkar, Founder‑Trustee of Cresmonde, praised GEMS’s 65‑year legacy and said the joint effort will upgrade the academic environment in the four schools. GEMS, founded in 1959 in Dubai by two Indian teachers, now serves over 200,000 learners from more than 176 nationalities and employs about 20,000 staff, including 10,000 teachers. The group runs curricula such as IB, British, Indian (CBSE/ICSE), Cambridge and American programs and has placed graduates in over 2,000 universities worldwide, including Ivy League and Russell Group schools. GEMS says it will use this partnership as a model to work with more quality school operators across the region.

Context

Such global‑local school alliances are growing as Indian families look for curricula that match international standards while staying rooted in local culture. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region’s expanding population makes it a key market for new education models.