It’s not uncommon to hear educators say it’s their job to equip students to live healthy and fulfilling lives.
But GEMS Education, which comprises more than 60 schools, is taking that ideal to the extreme, with a new initiative called Beyond100.
Its aim is to provide students with “life-enhancing habits” that will help them to “live well as long as they can,” explains the project’s corporate lead, Dr Funke Baffour-Awuah, who is also head of wellbeing for GEMS.
It sounds like a lofty goal when more immediate academic milestones tend to dominate planning in schools.
But Dr Funke believes that, as well as the wider societal benefits, the programme will also benefit GEMS schools in various ways: falling absenteeism and sickness rates; improved focus in class; and fewer behavioural issues.
“It will have ripple effects on so many aspects of the child’s life,” she says, pointing out also the benefits to wider society of a “thriving ageing population”.
She suggests that Beyond100 could also have a direct impact on parents, who may adopt the habits their children are learning about in school.
The seeds of long life
So how will all this be done?
Dr Funke explains that, at its core, the project will work by exposing students to age-appropriate “micro-habits” every day.
Grounded in science and inspired by Japanese longevity principles, the habits should mean that, by the time they leave school, more than 2,000 “seeds” will have been sown to help them live well.
GEMS has appointed a raft of experts to guide the project, including Professor JJ (Hans) Meij, director of the Academy for Healthy Longevity, NUS Singapore, who will chair the Beyond100 project.
“Good health and longevity start the moment you are born,” he said. “From the youngest age, our students will be taught about the three key pillars for a long and happy life: a healthy body, mental wellbeing and a good social network (‘social health’).”
Four pillars
How will this be practically delivered in classrooms, though? Dr Funke explains that, from Monday to Thursday, the focus will shift between four key domains:
- “Move More” encourages regular physical activity
- “Nourish Better” focuses on a healthy, balanced diet
- “Think Deeper” seeks to build emotional resilience, curiosity and cognitive agility
- “Rest Fully” promotes quality sleep and recovery.
On Fridays, students will be encouraged to reflect on what they have learned throughout the week.
Aligned with this, schools can, with consent, use data from wearable devices to track physical activity and, perhaps more importantly, their quantity and quality of sleep.
“The recommendation is that younger children get 10-11 hours’ sleep a night, but we are hearing that some are not even getting seven, while some of our older kids are only getting five,” says Dr Funke.
She acknowledges that, for older students, this lack of sleep can be driven by academic pressures, but suggests that, if they learn to understand their bodies and “identify when their mind is tired”, they will become more productive, studying for less time but more efficiently.
Five minutes a day
Dr Funke stresses that the programme itself should not be burdensome, either for students or staff. Only five minutes a day will be spent by teachers on introducing the habits, which become “more sophisticated as the child moves through the school”.
While the core concepts remain the same, “the application evolves to match the child’s developmental stage,” she explains.
In the early years, for example, Monday’s five “Move More” minutes might involve children playing around with different animal walks, such as crawling like a spider, to build coordination and wake up the body.
Primary-age children, meanwhile, might go on to learn an exercise such as a bodyweight squat, which can help build long-term strength for sport and life.
At secondary, they will understand how to design a personal workout routine focusing on different parts of the body, which will enable them to take full ownership of their fitness.
A steady start
The programme will launch first at GEMS School of Research and Innovation, due to open in Dubai this month, with rollout to all GEMS schools set to take place in 2026.
Acknowledging the role of parents in their children’s sleep, nutrition, screentime and exercise, the programme will include information sessions for families, and each student will have a digital profile that can be accessed by their parents.
There will be no obligation for students to track things like sleep and exercise, but when they have given consent, families will be able to see how long their child slept for, as well as their mood, based on a daily check-in.
Wearables, however, will not be introduced until January, as decisions about the best device will be taken only after discussions with families.
Mindful of privacy concerns, Dr Funke is clear to add that the use of wearables will not be mandatory. “This will be the first time we are exploring their potential, but it will be on an opt-in basis, in full consultation with students, families and schools.”
A happy life
Ultimately, the programme is about giving students the “how to” when it comes to their health, explains Dr Funke. She believes this is too often the piece of the puzzle that is missing from formal education.
And, while she does not expect all of the 2,000-plus habits children will be introduced to during their time with GEMS to become part of their daily lives, Dr Funke is hopeful that some will, and that the impact for pupils, parents, teachers and schools will be profound.
“By embedding daily habits into our culture, we are empowering students to take ownership of their wellbeing,” she says.
“We’re creating an environment where every child can learn, grow and develop the resilience needed for a happy, long life.”
For essential weekly intelligence on the international schools sector, sign up for the
