Sabis Educational Systems lands in South America and opens bilingual school in Campinas
Project of Lebanese group relies on the support from Investe SP and includes investments of more than R$ 30 million; Company aims to make international education more accessible in Brazil
Investe São Paulo
Sabis® Educational Systems, a Lebanese educational network present in 18 countries, will build its first South American unit in Campinas. The school will involve investments of more than US$ 30 million until it start operations with 800 students by 2018, and may reach 5000 in the future.
The project relies on the support from Investe São Paulo, the investment promotion agency associated with the State Department of Economic Development, Science, Technology and Innovation. “We have been assisting Sabis for two years, providing strategic socio-economic information on various regions of the state. In Campinas, Sabis will play a key role in the initial training of professionals who help make the region a knowledge hub within the continent,” said Juan Quirós, president of the Agency.
The investment announcement was formalized during a ceremony at Campinas City Hall, where Quirós was represented by the Agency’s Director of Investments, Ermínio Lucci.
The international network has a proposal for bilingual and secular education, which aims to prepare students to enter the best universities in the world. In Brazil, the few schools that operate in this pattern have a high cost, but Sabis intends to bring a model that is also affordable for the middle class.
“In our business model, the units must thrive, generate wealth and jobs in the city, but always focusing on the main goal, which is to prepare for a globalized world,” said the company’s CEO, Carl Bistany. The idea is that the unit of Campinas, which will educate children from kindergarten to high school, is the first of several schools in Brazil and Latin America.
To build the school, the company acquired an area covering 330,000 square meters. The project includes a built area of 25,000 square meters, in an area of approximately 100,000 square meters in the initial phase of the unit, with area remaining for future expansion, the construction of accommodation for exchange students and teachers and green space.
The students will follow the curriculum of the Ministry of Education (MEC) applied in any other school, with the entire content in English as the main language. The material will also be standardized – the company has its own academic production department with thousands of titles published. Many of them have already been translated into Portuguese, since the idea of coming to Brazil has been studied for over three years.
“Education is the most valuable asset of life, and the municipality been making investments in this area. It is an investment that further strengthens the city, which despite the crisis, has been facing difficulties with labor,” said the mayor of Campinas, Jonas Donizette, during the ceremony. He emphasized that the longevity and the seriousness the work developed by Sabis make the city honored for being chosen.
The secretary Samuel Rossilho also highlighted the company’s decision to choose the company: “It is a privilege that represents the consolidation of our city as a knowledge hub. The confidence of Sabis is a proof that Campinas has a vision towards the future".
“For 129 years, Sabis has been preparing students of all nationalities, with the knowledge and skills required to help them achieve success in a globalized labor market. It should be noted that the gains from the quality of education are not limited to students. The cities that host the schools of Sabis network also benefit. They become more interesting to individuals and multinational companies, for the creation of new jobs and services at an affordable cost,” said Bistany, also emphasizing the confidence in the state of São Paulo. The company needed to build its school in a city that had, at the same time, a high level of economic development and potential for internationalization.
“Campinas is an industrial and services hub, in addition to being a global hub due to Viracopos Airport. Here we can fulfill one of the most promising hubs of the country,” said the executive. According to him, the support from the local government was also key to the decision to settle in the city.
About SABIS® International Systems
Sabis was established in 1886 as the International School of Choueifat, founded in Choueifat village, in Beirut, Lebanon, by Reverend Tanios Saad and Ms. Louisa Proctor. In the mid-1970s, the company started an expansion program outside Lebanon, thus initiating the creation of a global network of schools currently present in 18 countries.
The roots in the nineteenth century ensured SABIS® a solid foundation in the world of global education management. Today, the SABIS® Network is managed by a team of skilled people with deep knowledge, supervised by two corporate offices located in Beirut, Lebanon, and in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, USA.
Currently in the US, SABIS® Educational System, INC. operates with twelve charter schools (Arizona, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Ohio), five licensed schools (New York, New Jersey), and a private school (Minnesota). In Europe, it operates three private schools (Germany, UK) and a licensed school (Romania).
For more information, please visit www.sabis.net.