Mastercard, a leading technology company in the global payments industry, has formed an annual partnership with GEMS Education to grant scholarships to high-achieving students, in the field of academic excellence and extra-curriculars such as sports and the creative & performing arts.

At an awards ceremony held at GEMS Wellington Academy, Al Khail, Mastercard representatives presented eight scholarships to top performers across GEMS schools.

Girish Nanda, General Manager, UAE & Oman, Mastercard, said: “As a business that places innovation at the heart of all that we do, we strongly understand the importance of nurturing a culture of out-of-the-box thinking combined with hard work within the leaders of tomorrow. The students that received scholarships today displayed tremendous perseverance and innovative thinking to be recognized at this ceremony, and we are pleased to reward them with scholarships for a quality education with GEMS.”

Sugam Bhasin, Vice President of Marketing and Loyalty at GEMS Education, said: “Our annual partnership with Mastercard for grant of scholarships to students will further inspire them and support them in their studies. This partnership complements the GEMS Rewards programme, which is exclusively available to our community of students, parents and staff and it allows them to enjoy impressive savings across a host of experiences. Forming industry partnerships are an integral part of our commitment to providing accessible quality education for all.”