UAE: Pakistani teacher retires from Indian curriculum school after 37 years

UAE: Pakistani teacher retires from Indian curriculum school after 37 years

The expat from Lahore has fond memories of Mariamma Varkey, founder of the first GEMS school in Dubai

Published: Sat 18 Jun 2022, 6:42 PM

One of Dubai's longest-serving school teachers is retiring after 37 years of working in the same school and for seven different principals.

Pakistani expatriate Ghazala Dar, who taught Urdu and Islamic Studies at an Indian curriculum school for over three decades, is bidding adieu to GEMS Our Own English High School, Dubai, on June 30.

"I leave with a heavy yet very content and happy heart. The experience has been unlike anything else," said Ghazala.

"I completed my graduation in Pakistan and did my bachelor in education (B.Ed) from there as well. I worked in a semi-government school as a primary teacher for two years. After my marriage, my husband and I moved to the UAE," she told Khaleej Times.

The Lahore-native arrived in the UAE in 1981. Though she had interviewed with then school principal Professor Varghese, she officially joined the school as an Urdu and Islamic studies teacher on November 13, 1984. "I couldn't join in 1981 since I was pregnant with my first child. After she grew old enough, I came back for an interview and joined the