Monday, Feb 20, 2017

Dubai: Most of the highest fee hikes in the next academic year (2017-18) are expected to come from UK schools in Dubai as they constitute the majority of ‘outstanding’ schools.

Out of the 16 private schools rated outstanding, 10 are UK curriculum. Some of them also offer the IB curriculum.

On Sunday, Knowledge and Human Development Authority said that outstanding schools are eligible to raise tuition fees by 4.8 per cent for the coming academic year.

The KHDA said that the Dubai Statistics Centre has set the new Education Cost Index (ECI) to 2.4 per cent — down from the previous 3.21 per cent.

Under the KHDA rules, outstanding schools are eligible to apply for the biggest hike — of double the ECI — which is equal to 4.8 per cent.

Meanwhile, ‘very good’ schools are eligible for hikes up to 1.75 times the ECI, ‘good’ schools are eligible for 1.5 times the ECI and the rest (‘satisfactory’, ‘weak’, ‘very weak’) are allowed an increase equivalent to the ECI per cent.

In the latest inspections that covered 149 schools, 16 schools were rated outstanding, 13 very good, 57 good, 56 acceptable and seven were rated weak.

If all the outstanding schools apply for the maximum hike, and if they are granted permission, the financial impact will be borne by families of around 29,200 students who study in the 16 outstanding schools. These students represent 11 per cent of the total student population in Dubai private schools.

Annual fees at the outstanding schools vary greatly, from around Dh100,000 for the highest grade 12, to below Dh5,000 for primary education. The arrangement means parents face as much as Dh4,800 extra annually per child and as less as Dh240.

Box:

‘Outstanding’ Dubai schools

Kings School Dubai — UK

Jumeirah College — UK

Jumeirah English Speaking School — UK

Dubai College — UK

GEMS Jumeirah Primary School — UK

Dubai English Speaking Private College (Br) — UK

GEMS Royal Dubai School — UK

Repton School — UK/IB

GEMS Wellington International School — UK/IB

Jumeirah English Speaking School (Br) — UK/IB

GEMS Dubai American Academy — US/IB

Dubai International Academy — IB

Lycee Francais International Georges Pompidou Primary (Oud Metha) — French

Lycee Francais International Georges Pompidou School (Dubai branch) — French

GEMS Modern Academy — Indian (CISCE)

The Indian High School — Indian (CBSE)

By Faisal Masudi Staff Reporter

Gulf News 2017. All rights reserved.