No fee hike at Dubai private schools next academic year

Dubai: There will be no increase in school fees at private schools in Dubai for the next academic year 2022-2023, which starts in ending August or at the beginning of September, it was announced on Tuesday.

Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) said the move is based on the approved Education Cost Index (ECI) issued by the Dubai Statistics Center, and private schools have been officially notified of the indicator.

ECI, which measures annual changes in the costs of running a school, including salaries, rent and utilities, has been set at -1.01 per cent this year. The index is calculated by the Dubai Statistics Centre.

Mohammed Darwish, CEO of the Regulations and Permits Commission, KDHA, said: “Dubai’s private schools continue to demonstrate strong growth and resilience, driven by the trust and confidence of families. Our robust fee framework ensures complete transparency and balances the expectations of families and schools.”

The ECI and the Fee Framework were developed in collaboration with Dubai Government entities, including Dubai Statistics Centre, Department of Economic Development, and Dubai Chamber of Commerce, among others.

Enrolment at Dubai’s private schools increased by 5.8 per cent per cent since February 2021. Dubai has witnessed the opening of around 21 new schools over the past three years, taking the total number of schools to 215 private schools.