By Joseph George
From local sourcing and bespoke solutions to AI-ready classrooms and modular learning spaces, GCC schools are redefining procurement around innovation, resilience and long-term educational outcomes
Dubai, May 8, 2026: Schools across the GCC are moving beyond imported education supplies, increasingly favouring locally developed products and solutions while accelerating the shift towards integrated STEM and STEAM learning ecosystems. Suppliers are seeing rising demand for bespoke solutions tailored to individual school identities, as the region’s K-12 education sector continues to set benchmarks in global standards, emerging as the trend setter. Despite supply chain volatility, early planning, local sourcing and resilience measures are helping both suppliers and schools secure reliable supplies for 2026–27.
Emphasising the region’s growing influence, Paolo Borghesi, Co-Founder, Kidzink and Koda says, “The UAE and GCC are no longer following global trends in school design and supplies. They are setting them,” adding that school procurement offices worldwide are now looking to this region for inspiration, not the other way around.
