Riyadh:—According to a new report today by The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), entitled ‘Where to Invest Now in the GCC Private Education’, Saudi Arabia’s private K-12 education market valued at $5 billion in 2017 is poised to grow to $12 billion by 2023. Across the GCC, the private education market is becoming a magnet for investors, and rightly so, as it is expected to double over the next five years. Despite the fact that strong growth has been predicted across the region, investors must fine-tune their strategies to account for the shifting circumstances before committing to an investment opportunity.

The report identified four drivers of growth in private education, affecting markets across the GCC:

Shift towards Private Schools: At $11,000 per student per annum, private school spending is higher in the GCC region than in OECD counterparts. Parents across the region are becoming increasingly willing to pay for private schools that provide differentiated offerings and improved outcomes—and this trend will likely grow now that governments are beginning to publish performance ratings for all schools.

Tuition Fees: Across the GCC region, tuition fees for private education will continue to rise 2% to 4% per year. However, tuition fees are rising at a slower rate than in recent years owing to tighter regulations and an economic environment that limits consumer spending. Expatriates are also facing in­creased financial pressure as employers have begun to scale back their tui­tion-reimbursement packages. Some governments have placed caps on tuition hikes: in recent years, Kuwait has limited tuition hikes by 0% to 3%, and the UAE and Bahrain recently set a limit of 5%, linked to the education inflation index and schools’ performance.

Population Growth: The student-aged population (age 3 to 17) is expected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 1% to 3%. The expatriate population is expected to grow even faster than national popula­tions, and expatriates attend private schools.

Enrollment Growth: Private school enrollment at the primary level and above is high throughout the GCC and expected to remain steady. Enrollment rates at the preschool level (ages 3 to 6) are growing, most notably in Saudi Arabia, which has the largest overall population in the GCC region and the lowest kindergarten enrollment rate (less than 20% kindergarten enrollment in Saudi Arabia versus 60% to 90% in the rest of the GCC).

“New developments, such as evolving demographics, government interventions, and regulatory issues, are reshaping the complex private education market within each country in the GCC. As the potential for growth in the private education market varies significantly from country to country, it is important for investors to understand the size of each market and its potential for growth in the coming years,” said Dr. Leila Hoteit, Partner and Managing Director at The Boston Consulting Group.

A Deep Dive into the Growth of Saudi Arabia’s Private Education Market

Saudi Arabia’s private schools will account for the lion’s share of growth in the GCC region. The private K-12 education market is poised to more than double over the next five years. This growth will be fueled by several factors including a shift towards private schools, expatriate population growth, enrollment growth and tuition increases. In line with Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Education launched an ambitious strategy to raise the quality of education, transform youth mindsets, and strengthen the economy.

The number of students in private schools is estimated to increase from 18% in 2017 to 30% by 2023. Ahlia schools, which are private schools delivering the national curricu­lum, will start to differentiate and complement their offering with international curricula, new learning resources, and extra-curricular activi­ties. Additionally, Saudi nationals are now allowed to enroll in private international schools and the country is allowing 100% foreign ownership of companies in the educa­tion sector.

Enrollment growth in Saudi Arabia is around 20% at kindergarten level, which is relatively low when compared to the rest of the region; however, Vision 2030 and the Ministry of Education has set ambitious targets for kindergarten enrollment. Moreover, as the expatriate population in the Kingdom continues to grow, families are more likely to enroll their children in quality private schools. Private school fees are also likely to rise faster than inflation as school offering become more sophisticated in terms of curriculum, learning resources, teacher qualifications, and extra-curricular and ancillary services.

Red tape and bureaucracy are not uncommon across GCC markets, and processes to obtain per­mits and licenses in Saudi Arabia can be inefficient and time-consuming. There is also a shortage of qualified teachers due to strict Saudiazation laws, and public schools offer favorable salaries, benefits, and hours compared to private schools. The government is making an ef­fort to address these challenges, but change takes time. The Education Evaluation Commission (EEC), Saudi Arabia’s quality assurance agency, has already begun inspections of schools, and we expect that the commission will eventu­ally make their outcomes available to the public. This information will likely motivate more families to enroll their children in private schools.

Saudi Arabia is still a relatively immature mar­ket, with few international schools, limited exposure to international curricula, and limited experience with international in­vestors. Greater competition and consolidation in the private education market is expected. There are also significant op­portunities for growth in Saudi Arabia giv­en the announcement of recent mega-projects, such as NEOM.

“The private education market has become increasingly complex and competitive in recent years, particularly in mature markets such as the UAE—and these shifts have implications for investors. The dearth of private schools available in Saudi Arabia, coupled with government intervention that positively affects the private education market, will amplify the bullish growth expected in the sector,” said Maya El Hachem, Principal at The Boston Consulting Group. “There is a strong need for high-quality private schools that offer a va­riety of curricula and fee ranges.We also expect to see greater consolidation in the private education market, increasingly sophisticated educational offering, and ad­ditional emphasis on educational support. ”

A copy of the report can be downloaded here.

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© Press Release 2018