The growing popularity of the IB curriculum
▶ British remains at the top in Dubai, with Indian schools close behind and American schools losing some ground
The International Baccalaureate is the fastest-growing curriculum in Dubai, a report has revealed.
Six per cent of pupils in Dubai studied the curriculum last year, compared to two per cent in 2010, UK property consultancy Knight Frank found.
“The IB curriculum and British curriculum are truly international and are transferable, thus they are popular,” said Natasha Ridge, executive director at the Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation for Policy Research.
“You can take the certificate anywhere in the world.
“For most of the UAE population, who are from other countries, they want to know they can use their diploma to get into any university anywhere.
“If they leave the UAE, they can easily transfer to a school somewhere else.”
The British curriculum remains the most popular, with 93,771 pupils studying it, while Indian curriculum schools have 79,579 pupils.
“Some of the Indian schools are not expensive and are doing a very good job,” Ms Ridge said. “I know Emirati parents in Ras Al Khaimah who send their children to Indian schools.”
Competitive tuition fees and a focus on core subjects draw parents to the Indian curriculum, where the average fee is Dh10,766. But the baccalaureate curriculum is still considered the gold standard by many, and universities vie for pupils who have attained its diploma.
British schools in Dubai charge an average of Dh37,071, compared to the baccalaureate schools’ Dh65,517.
American schools have had a slight decline, from 22 per cent in 2010 to 18 per cent last year. On average, American curriculum schools charge a tuition fee of Dh29,495.
Shehzad Jamal, a partner at Knight Frank, said the style of learning and transferable credits attracted pupils to baccalaureate schools.
“IB is a curriculum that has quality standards and parents also like that it allows for credits from many universities,” Mr Jamal said. “The curriculum instils the attributes of independent learning, which is the need of the day.”
He said British schools served various segments of society. They might charge as little as Dh10,000 a year for a Grade 1 pupil or as much as Dh70,000. The report found that the number of private Ministry of Education curriculum schools fell from 15 in 2010 to 11 last year.
“As time progresses, these schools are faced with increased competition as a result of improving standards in public sector schools and also options available to parents to enrol their children in schools offering western curriculums,” the report said.
Mr Jamal said that more Emirati families were considering international curriculums so that their children could have access to the multinational population.
“Public sector schools are providing the ministry curriculum and since they are improving, there is really no chance of sending children to a private school and getting the same,” he said.
“Emiratis want their children to improve their communication skills, have exposure to the international community and be prepared for the world,” he said.
“While previously people would travel many kilometres to go to school, now there are so many options available that parents are looking for the most convenient options within their price range.”