Indian expat education leader who founded 9 schools in UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain dies

Dubai: NK Ramachandran Menon, founder and chairman of Bhavans Middle East, who built a network of schools across the UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain, has died aged 78, his family told Gulf News.

The Indian expat education leader passed away on Wednesday in Kerala, the family said. Last rites were held on Thursday at the family home in Aluva.

According to the family, the group he led now has nine schools and two early-years centres across three countries, serving thousands of students. His most recent milestone, Pearl Heritage School in Abu Dhabi, opened in August.

Bhavans Middle East is part of a wider family of schools with deep roots in India, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. It was founded in 1938 by K M Munshi, a member of India's Constituent Assembly, reportedly with the blessings of Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation. The group runs hundreds of schools in India.

Menon founded Bhavans schools in the Middle East and spearheaded the group's expansion in education and technology.

A banker by profession, he moved to Kuwait in 1969. He initiated the idea of bringing Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan to the Middle East in Kuwait in 2000, and opened his first school there, Indian Educational School (IES – Bhavans Kuwait), in 2006.

He was reportedly the first Indian settled in Kuwait to receive a UAE Golden Visa, in early 2022.

From Kuwait, the group expanded into the UAE and Bahrain. In the UAE, Private International English School (PIES), Abu Dhabi, was established in September 2010 as a Bhavans school and is commonly known as Bhavans Abu Dhabi.

Al Saad Indian School in Al Ain opened in September 2014. Bahrain Indian School followed in September 2015, and The Smart Indian School in Kuwait in September 2016.

Bhavans Pearl Wisdom School in Al Ain opened in April 2019, Pearl Wisdom School in Dubai in April 2020 and Bhavans Pearl Wisdom School in Sharjah in September 2023. The group also runs Jack and Jill Pre-School, part of IES in Kuwait, and Piccadilly Nursery in Abu Dhabi.

Menon is survived by his wife, Sudha Ramachandran, and two children, Divya Rajesh Ramachandran and Sooraj Ramachandran. Both are chartered accountants living in the UAE. Divya is the director of Bhavans Middle East, while Sooraj is its vice chairman.

Amid the mourning, all schools in the group closed early on Thursday as a mark of respect.

Students attended a condolence assembly and prayers before being dismissed early. Principals, administrative managers and some teachers from the UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain travelled to Kerala for the funeral.

His management profile describes Menon as someone who "thinks outside the boundaries". Colleagues describe him as a mentor and encouraging leader who trusted his principals and teachers. They said many grew from teachers into principals under his guidance.

Dr K T Nandakumar, principal of PIES Abu Dhabi, said the chairman's death had left an irreplaceable void at his school and across all Bhavans schools in the Middle East. “On a personal note, I lost a mentor, guide and teacher, whose encouragement and unwavering faith had been integral to my journey from teacher to principal.”

Dr Nandakumar said Menon was much more than a chairman to those who worked under him. He described him as a visionary leader and eminent educationist, marked by wisdom, humility, foresight and a commitment to values.

He said his dedication to children and his concern for students and teachers had left an enduring mark on thousands of pupils across the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait.

Dr Nandakumar said that while his physical presence would be missed, his vision and values would continue to guide the schools. He said staff would strive to carry forward the ideals he upheld, and he offered condolences to the family on behalf of the school community.

Indu Panicker, principal of Bhavans Pearl Wisdom School in Sharjah, called Menon "a leader par excellence who did not build institutions but people".

Amrita Ranjit, the group's marketing manager in the UAE and its spokesperson, paid tribute to Menon’s approach to education. “He believed schooling was about more than academic excellence, and about nurturing responsible, compassionate and principled people. He had had deep faith in young minds and cared about the welfare of both students and teachers,” she recalled.

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