Pinoy couple helps provide quality, affordable education in UAE through school business

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – Driven by his desire to provide quality education for his son, an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) here bravely embarked on a journey that would later transform his dream into a beacon of hope for many Filipino parents in the United Arab Emirates.

At the heart of the bustling city of the capital where the bright lights of the stunning skyscrapers meet the aspirations of countless OFWs, a father’s realization about the limited educational opportunities for his son inspired him to find ways to make quality education affordable to fellow Filipinos.

Dr. Richard Paolo Deluria, a graduate of industrial and organizational psychology who later earned his master’s in Psychology and PhD in Education major in curriculum design, development and supervision, never thought that his vision that began in 2019 has successfully become a reality in just a few years.

His journey all began five years ago when he saw the need to provide quality yet affordable education to many children of OFWs.

Challenges

As an OFW himself, Deluria understood the challenges faced by Filipino families who are struggling to secure a brighter future for their children given the expensive tuition being offered by various educational institutions in the UAE.

“It was in 2015 when we tried to enroll our son to a Filipino school. We got dismayed he wasn’t accepted as we heard the school will prioritize only if we know someone working there or already a sibling is studying there. We didn’t have the choice but to let go and enrolled him to an international school. The tuition fee was too high, almost P500,000. We think it was not practical,” Deluria told GMA News Online.

Determined to make a difference, Deluria and his wife, Frances Louise, a registered pediatric nurse both in the Philippines and UAE, conceptualized the establishment of an educational center that would cater not only to their son’s needs but to many OFW children residing in the country.

On April 28, 2019, the couple established SRK–San Roque Kid Training Center, a name inspired by Deluria’s devotion to the patron saint of Banlic, Cabuyao City in Laguna where he grew up. 

Accredited by the Abu Dhabi Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (ACTVET), as well as the Department of Education (DepEd) in the Philippines, SRK Training Center started out providing online classes to students before it finally opened its doors to accommodating trainees in a face-to-face setting.

Starting with just two trainees including his son, Jose Inigo, the SRK Training Center, headquartered here in Abu Dhabi, blossomed into a thriving community of learners after five years since it was founded.

Sleepless nights

“We had sleepless nights when we started in 2019. We worked as partners, as a couple. During the first year, wala kaming kita (there was no income), but we persevered. I see something in this cause. My inspiration was my son. If I failed, I will fail him,” he said.

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, SRK Training Center doubled its enrolment as they focused on “de-clogging and de-loading” the curriculum into three parts.

“Hinati naming ang mga (we divided the) subjects where we focused on giving priority on the three major subjects: English, Math and Science. Then we give second priority to the minor academic subjects like Filipino, Social Studies & Values Education then the non-academic subjects like the Physical Education, music, literacy, robotics at iba pa. So, the students are not so loaded because they can focus as there are designated subjects for each day,” he said.

Currently, SRK Education Group LLC has two branches in Abu Dhabi located in Hamdan and Electra Street in the downtown area of the capital while in Al Ain, they established SRK Education Training Center LLC and in Dubai, SRK Dubai. SRK Nursery, which is accredited by the Department of Education & Knowledge in Abu Dhabi (ADEC), is situated in Al Falah Street in Abu Dhabi City. 

Expansion

Deluria, also a social entrepreneur and SRK Chairman and CEO, told GMA News Online that they have expanded SRK Training Center to Ruwais in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi and even in the United States by providing online classes.

At present, SRK International Group has more than 2,100 learners and about 150 staff in the UAE and in the Philippines, he said.

SRK International Group has affiliated schools in the Philippines owned by the Deluria couple: Woodlands International Homeschool, Angeli Gilbert Christian Academy, and Jesus the Risen Saviour School International, all DepEd accredited.

“Every year, we have 20-25% annual growth. As to expansion, we have lots of plans. We will set up an actual center in Houston, USA in 2025. We have plans of opening up centers in the Philippines, GCC and we are open to the plan for franchising. We have plans of setting up caravans through Woodlands International Homeschool in Vietnam, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Indonesia,” said Deluria.

Apart from this, Deluria said that they always find a way to give back to the community by offering scholarships not only to their employees and staff but also to indigent students. They also support cancer patients in the Philippines as well as those communities stricken with typhoons and calamities.

“We want to give back. It’s part of who we are, it keeps us grounded. We work not because of the profit but because of the causes,” he said.

Mrs. Deluria, SRK President and CFO, also told GMA News Online that when she started joining her husband as a partner, she found the role very fulfilling.

“We started from scratch. But it is very fulfilling because we believe in our cause. We need to take care of it,” she said.

Programs

Charmaine Santos, SRK Marketing Manager, said the center offered a range of programs designed to support various learning styles, including on-site, blended, and remote education.

The programs included the Filipino Reading Program, SRK Little Musician, PEONZ Math & Robotics, Early Reading Program, SRK Math Genius, and Writing is Fun, each tailored to nurture the unique talents of children, Santos said.

She said that all their trainers are Filipinos and the curriculum are approved by DEPED.

“Our curriculum is aligned with DepEd’s MATATAG curriculum and all our trainers are Filipinos too. They’re all trained and competent,” she said.

Ma. Lesly Azarcon, an ICU nurse working in one of the government hospitals in Abu Dhabi, told GMA News Online that she decided to transfer her eldest child to SRK in 2020 after searching for better alternatives in terms of accessibility & lower tuition fees.

Azarcon said SRK offered a very flexible mode of payment where parents have options to pay in instalment. 

Aside from the affordable fees, Azarcon also said that she is impressed with the curriculum and the warm culture SRK espoused. —KBK, GMA Integrated News