Abu Dhabi: A total of 24,000 seats are set to become available over the next two years across 17 new private schools in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, education officials said in the capital today (March 8).

These follow private sector investment of over Dh3.4 billion into opening 56 schools in the emirate during the last five years, said Hamad Al Daheri, director of private schools and quality assurance at the emirate’s education sector regulator, the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec).

“These 56 institutions created about 75,000 school seats and, in this manner, the private sector has been a major partner in the development of the emirate’s education system,” Al Daheri said.

Among them were 11 schools that opened at the start of the ongoing academic year (2015-2016), and three that underwent expansions, creating an extra 19,944 seats between them, he added.

Al Daheri was speaking during a tour of newly opened schools in the capital, during which officials and media outlets were given a look at the newest premises and their facilities.

Figures revealed by the Adec indicate that there are 186 private schools operating in Abu Dhabi at present, and they enrol more than 236,000 pupils.

Officials also said that enrolment at private schools has grown at a rate of seven per cent each year over the last five years, and it is expected to continue growing at an annual rate of five per cent. According to 2015 Adec estimates, this calls for 60,000 new school seats to become available by 2020 to accommodate the projected 280,000 schoolchildren.

The 17 upcoming schools will offer a range of curricula between them, including American, British and Ministry of Education.

However, a balance has been achieved in the demand and supply for seats in Indian curriculum schools, Tareq Al Ameri, business development manager at the Adec, told Gulf News. Since 2008, these Indian schools had been facing a persistent shortage of seats after the closure of a number of institutions housed in non-purpose built premises that were found to be unsafe for pupils.

“One more Indian curriculum school, the Indian International School, will open in April 2016, with about 1,800 seats. Following this, the existing schools will have a chance to expand their facilities. But we do not have any new Indian schools in the pipeline for the next two years, and we believe the demand has been met for the present,” he said.

Speaking about the Adec’s priority areas, Al Daheri said that there is a focus on ensuring that private schools maintain quality and educational outcomes, monitor non-educational outcomes, promote national identity, and provide access to affordable education opportunities for all. He added that 60 per cent of all schoolchildren in private schools currently attend institutions that offer low tuition fees (usually between Dh10,000 and Dh19,000 per year).

A number of new institutions are also selecting their own priority educational concepts to supplement the Adec’s goals. For example, Amity International School, which opened in September 2015 with a British curriculum, is working to develop a marine-centred programme for pupils. It hopes to offer sailing lessons, as well as courses in marine biology and environment. Similarly, Cranleigh Abu Dhabi, another British curriculum institution that opened in 2014, places particular emphasis on sport and physical education.