Taaleem Holdings has signed a sale-and-purchase agreement to acquire a 95% stake in Kids First Group, an operator of 34 nurseries in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha that serve over 5,000 pupils. The transaction, funded through a mix of equity and debt, is scheduled to close in the fourth quarter of Taaleem’s 2024-25 financial year, subject to regulatory approvals.
Kids First will operate as a standalone unit under founder and chief executive Kamil Najjar after completion. The deal will expand Taaleem’s portfolio beyond its 32 K-12 schools and give the company an immediate presence in the Gulf’s early years segment, which analysts forecast will outpace wider private education growth through 2030.
Taaleem stated that the acquisition will be earnings- and cash-flow-accretive from the outset. Its shares climbed more than 4% on the Dubai Financial Market after news of the agreement.
Management described the purchase as a step toward creating a full education pathway from nursery to secondary level. Industry observers note that premium early-learning centres in the GCC are seeing strong demand as population growth and higher female workforce participation lift enrolment.
The transaction follows Taaleem’s December 2022 IPO and aligns with a wider consolidation trend in Gulf private education, where operators are using capital-market access to finance expansion across age groups and geographies.
