Spreading Our Wings

It has been a busy year for Esol Education and our schools alike, with a rising student body, action-packed calendars, and exciting development plans. This issue of Strides represents a year of outstanding student initiatives and achievements, as our established schools continue to innovate with their programs and our newer schools mature into reliable anchors within their respective communities.

Turn to The Brief section to read about the diverse array of student activities and accomplishments from our schools, as well as the latest news from Esol Education covering our brand-new Cairo campuses, our all-school leadership summit, new appointments and our collaborative event with PowerSchool, North America’s leading provider of leading provider of cloud-based K-12 educational software. 

Our cover story takes you on a journey across Hong Kong, UAE and The Kingdom of Bahrain, as we trace the paths of Esol Education’s school launches over the past few years, and take a deep dive into their unique offerings and programs. As we continue to grow and expand, Esol’s technology-led approach to education will soon pivot to AI, which has been dominating newsfeeds recently. Curious about how it affects education? In Ask Dr. Joseph, our Chief Information Officer, Dr. Joseph Nettikaden, unpacks the risks, benefits, and impact of AI, and offers timely solutions for education leaders to pave the way for responsible use and guide their school communities to truly benefit from this revolutionary, ever-evolving technology.

Read to discover our In Class section, outstanding student initiatives from Esol schools. From student journalism and community engagement with the AIS Egypt chapter of the UN-supported Girl Up organization, to students participating in the global COP28 Climate Change Conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and a partnership between AUBH and CERN, our students have access to a world of opportunities! Later in this issue, meet Dr. Bradley J. Cook, President of American University of Bahrain, as he talks about the key drivers transforming education today, and reflects on his own personal experiences and unique background, having spent his formative years in the Middle East.  

Our intrepid explorers of the Unexplored section land also in the Kingdom of Bahrain, host to Esol’s American School of Bahrain, to find an island steeped in history. Read more about the ancient forts of this important bridge between Europe and Asia, a function it holds till the present day, albeit now a trading and financial hub offering an exceptional infrastructure, and a modern, progressive lifestyle. Dr. Ahmed Mitwalli, Chief Strategy Officer at Esol Education wraps up this issue with his views on striking the right balance between benefitting from the growth opportunities, and efficiencies, offered by  school networks, while maintaining the spirit of the individual communities represented by each member school.

We hope you enjoy reading our 2023-2024 edition of Strides! We take this opportunity to thank all our teachers and leaders for their dedication, determination and hard work in supporting all our students, and congratulate our families on another successful year!

Wishing you all a wonderful summer,
Sincerely,
Esol Education Team