Longer drive a lesser evil than steep school fees, parents say

Parents are also willing to travel farther for schools that teach a desired curriculum and help pupils with learning difficulties

Saving money on school fees and other factors are driving Dubai parents to choose schools 10 kilometres or more away from their homes.

Twenty-seven per cent of Dubai families are opting for longer trips to school, a study has revealed, despite there being an increasing number of options, with 207 private schools in Dubai and another 16 to open next academic year.

Shehzad Jamal, a partner at Knight Frank, the property consultant that conducted the survey, said proximity was not always the most compelling factor in choosing a school.

“Some schools have unique selling points that are attractive to parents and these include more affordable fees,” Mr Jamal said.

He said fuel was much cheaper in the UAE than in many residents’ home countries.

Nicole Wickham, 36, who runs a travel business from her home near Arabian Ranches, arrived in the country in January and sent her son to the Smart Vision school in Barsha.

It takes between 25 and 30 minutes to get there but the schools closer to home are almost double the price.

“We love the school, too, which means we are happy to stick with it,” said Ms Wickham, a South African.

Jenny Najm Kassis, who lives in the Springs, sends her children to Clarion American school near Business Bay, which is about 20km away.

Ms Kassis, 36, said the American curriculum attracted her to the school, and that was more important than the hassle of the daily trip.

She said it was too expensive to move closer to the school.

“We were looking at moving closer but we had to stay within a certain budget,” Ms Kassis said.

Kenza Brki from France lives

in Arabian Ranches and said it was important for her son to follow a French curriculum.

This means a 60km round trip to Lycee Francais Georges Pompidou school in Dubai’s Oud Metha.

Another factor for parents is the care some schools provide.

Chris Dailly, 42, lives in Dubai’s Jumeirah Golf Estates. One of his two teenage daughters has dyslexia and dyscalculia, which is a disorder that makes it difficult to understand mathematical concepts.

“Although we live in Jumeirah

Golf Estates with lots of primary schools in the area, we were having difficulty getting a school to work with the dyslexia,” said Mr Dailly, a Scotsman who runs his own property fund.

This means he and his family have a 65km round trip each day, costing up to Dh450 in fuel a week.

“We send her to Dubai English Speaking College, which has an ‘all pupils are welcome’ philosophy,” Mr Dailly said.

“They are not excessively concerned with results and have a different mindset to other schools.”

He said that if he sent his daughter on the school bus instead of driving her to school it would cost Dh3,000 a term.

British schools in Dubai charge an average of Dh37,071 a year for transport, while American curriculum schools charge Dh29,495.