No school fees increase next year in Dubai

Regulator says decision for 2020-2021 will help private school pupils and parents

Private schools will not be able to increase their tuition fees for the next academic year, Dubai’s education regulator said on Thursday.

The announcement from the Knowledge and Human Development Authority was prompted by the results of the annual Education Cost Index, calculated by the Dubai Statistics Centre.

Mohammed Darwish, head of KHDA’s regulations and permits commission, said the decision “prioritises the interests of students and parents and encourages investment in the education sector by allowing schools to develop long-term growth plans, as well as motivating existing schools to improve the quality of education they offer.

“The Education Cost Index provides complete transparency to both families and investors and balances expectations.”

Over the past seven years, 72 schools opened in Dubai, enrolling more than 70,000 pupils – a 31 per cent increase in the number of children attending private schools.

The annual KHDA School Fees Framework allows schools to increase fees depending on their inspection results and the ECI. The ECI of -2.35 per cent means that fees will remain unchanged for the 2020-2021 academic year. Some private schools may be eligible for an exception, the regulator said.

Enrolment at Dubai’s private schools increased by 2.9 per cent last year, according to the latest education landscape report.

Also last year, private schools in Dubai were be able to increase fees for the first time in two years. KHDA cleared school operators to increase tuition fees by a maximum of 4.14 per cent for the 2019-2020 academic year.

Kamal Kalwani, chief executive of Ambassador Education in Dubai, a private school operator, said freezing fees would “make education in Dubai more attractive”.

“From a school’s perspective, the costs of paying teachers will always go up because we have to retain our talent. But, that is not the only component of running a school.”

He said schools should view the decision holistically.

“This is not a permanent measure and schools in Dubai are doing their part by making education more affordable. This helps family out and we are happy to do our part.”

Last year, a survey of 3,000 parents found that more than six in 10 believed school fees are too high in Dubai.

The study, by the Dubai consultancy Education Intelligence Group, also showed 80 per cent of families spent between five and 25 per cent of their household income on their children’s education.

Clementina Kongslund, 42, a Romanian mother of two, said she was pleased fees would not rise but hoped it would not be at the expense of quality.