Dubai private schools allowed to amend fees

The Dubai government has given green light to schools in the emirate to hike their fees by a minimum 3 percent this academic year. Schools rated as outstanding in school inspections by Dubai’s education authority will be allowed to hike fees by 6 per cent this academic year, officials announced on Sunday. During school inspections, schools are graded into four performance categories – Outstanding, Good, Satisfactory and Unsatisfactory by the Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau at the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA). Schools rated good will be allowed to hike fees by 4.5 per cent, while satisfactory and unsatisfactory schools will be allowed 3 per cent. However, schools which increase their fees this year will not be allowed to do so for the next three academic years. Also only schools which have been up and running for the past three years will be allowed to hike their fees. Henceforth school fees will be governed by the School Fees Framework for Dubai’s private schools, which has been made public by KHDA today. The framework is based on quality of education (as per Dubai Schools Inspection results) and an Educational Cost Index (ECI) calculated by the Dubai Statistics Centre. The Executive Council endorsed the framework and set 3 per cent as the ECI, which is the minimum fee hike allowed for all schools. Mohammed Darwish, chief of Regulations and Compliance Commission at KHDA said: “The framework prioritizes 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 framework is evidence-based work and relies on data about the education landscape in Dubai. It is in line with KHDA’s remit to support schools in providing quality education.” The framework was developed in cooperation with Department of Economic Development, Department of Finance, Dubai Chamber of Commerce, Dubai Real Estate Corporation, Dubai Statistics Centre, the Dubai Executive Council and KHDA.