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New report predicts 175,000 seats will be needed by then — but that is where the private sector comes into play

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More than 175,000 additional school seats are projected to be required in the UAE’s K-12 segment by 2020.

PwC Middle East, in its new report, Understanding the GCC Education Sector, Country Profile: UAE, says 90 per cent of the seats will come from private schools, with new schools playing a pivotal role.

The report was released ahead of the recent Global Education Supplies and Solutions (GESS) show in Dubai.

Roland Hancock, Director, PwC Middle East, told Gulf News that the body of data indicates the UAE is “well positioned to keep up” with the projected demand for schooling by 2020.

“Between 2005 and 2015, the [population] growth was around 349,000 [people] and the UAE has responded by increasing provision and choice more quickly than ever before,” Hancock said.

“UN population projections indicate that the UAE’s 5-18 [aged] population will grow by 253,000 between 2015 and 2025. The extra school-aged children need school places,” he added.

In Dubai, the current 2016-17 school year saw a record 15 new schools open up — more than double the seven schools that opened last school year.

A senior official of the

Knowledge and Human Development Authority in Dubai told Gulf News that those new schools are nearly 90 per cent full.

The report also notes that parents now have a wider choice of schools, as both the number and quality of schools is improving. It is expected, the report says, that “cost will play a critical role in changing the supply-demand dynamic, with calls [from parents in Dubai] to have more quality schools below the average annual tuition

[fee] of Dh40,000”. Hancock said: “Parents are demanding better quality at a more affordable price point. In Dubai in particular, there are very few schools with an outstanding rating below this average fee rate.”

Hancock does competition, if well by regulators, growth.

“Competition should be seen as healthy in any market. Increasing competition ... will not believe managed will stifle also drive innovation and a focus on quality of provision as a differentiator.”

At the moment, the emerging market seems to be taking care of itself, with new schools in Dubai entering at price points that have successfully attracted their target segment of parents.

However, among existing schools, Hancock said there is still room for more mid-priced schools that are highly rated as well.