Global Educational Supplies and Solutions (GESS) Dubai announced the winners of its second annual awards program recognizing excellence in the education industry. The Dubai-based GESS Education Awards has attracted hundreds of entrants from local and international suppliers of educational products and solutions as well as education achievers and innovators. The Gulf education market has been a hotspot for leading local and global suppliers, offering robust opportunities for growth and expansion, especially in the field of digital learning, where the region boasts the second fastest growing region in the world in terms of investments and adoption. “It is important to recognize excellence in products and solutions being used in classrooms throughout the Gulf, where significant investments have been poured into education to keep with the demands of growing economies,” said Matt Thompson, Project Director, F&E Group, organizers of GESS Education Awards, which handed out the trophies at the second day of the GESS Dubai exhibition at the Dubai World Trade Centre. “The recognition allows decision makers in educational institutions throughout the Gulf to select the ones that will help them raise quality standards and be on par with the rest of the world.” GESS Education Awards are divided into two sections – awards for suppliers and individual products; and awards for teachers, schools and education professionals. Under each section are various award categories, whose entrants have been carefully evaluated against stringent criteria set by the organizers. The winners in the Awards for Suppliers and Individual Products include NetSupport Ltd (Global Education Supplier of the Year), Atlab (Local Education Supplier of the Year), Tirubaa Technologies Pvt Ltd (Product Innovation Award -Judges' Choice); The Knowledge Hub (Product Innovation Award -Visitors' Choice Onsite); and eyLog (Product Innovation Award-Visitors' Choice Online). Resource/Equipment Supplier of the Year winner for Early Years was Little Thinking Minds; while LEGO Education won the Resource/Equipment Supplier of the Year awards for the primary and secondary divisions. Still within the category but for higher education, the winning supplier was Naugra Export; while Nisai Learning received the trophy for Resource/Equipment Supplier of the Year for Special Needs. The Best ICT/App Product awards went to Letterland International (Free) and 3P Learning–Spellodrome (Paid), while Extron Electronics was named the Best Non-ICT Resource or Equipment winner. Edutech Middle East's Vernier Physiology received the Best Product to Promote Health and Fitness in the Classroom award. Meanwhile, the winners in the Awards for Teacher, Schools and Education Professionals include Linda Nordin of Gems World Academy as Overall Judges' Choice, while Arab e-learning expert Sharifa Hajjat was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Honour. The Best use of ICT/eLearning in the Classroom award went to Yasir Al Shuhoumi - Saad Bin Obadah; with the Outstanding Contribution in Education award going to Mark Wood of SPARK. Bijal Damani received the Innovation in Education award while Julia Jefferson from Saudi Arabian International Schools - Multinational Section Riyadh – was given the Community Award for Citizenship. The Ambassador for the Environment trophy was awarded to Kehkashan Basu of Green Hope UAE. — SG
