One in 10 Dubai schools improved in quality

Dubai:  A total of 18 Dubai private schools improved their inspection rating this year, released by Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) ahead of time on Wednesday.

KHDA director-general Dr Abdulla Al Karam said the early announcement of school inspection results was aimed at giving parents more time to choose better quality schools.

Of the 176 private schools inspected by KHDA’s Dubai School Inspection Bureau (DSIB), a total of 18 schools improved their rating this year.

List of schools inspected (2018-19)

Four schools moved from ‘very good’ to ‘outstanding’, five schools moved from ‘good’ to ‘very good’, six moved from ‘acceptable’ to ‘good’ and three from ‘weak’ to ‘acceptable’.

Meanwhile, six schools slipped in ratings since last academic year.

To read the latest KHDA reports, visit www.khda.gov.ae

Fee hikes

The latest ratings evaluated by KHDA’s Dubai School Inspection Bureau (DSIB) and the Education Cost Index (ECI) set by Dubai Statistics Centre together determine what amount a school can raise fees.

It was announced in March that schools cannot raise fees by more than 4.14 per cent. With the latest ratings, individual schools can raise fees between 2.07 per cent to 4.14 per cent, depending on their individual rating — ‘very weak’, ‘weak’, ‘acceptable’, ‘good’, ‘very good’, or ‘outstanding’.

Schools whose ratings slipped from the previous inspections will not be allowed a fee hike, while some schools have already said they will freeze or reduce fees for the new academic year.

Schools whose ratings stayed the same can apply for a 2.07 per cent hike.

After a gap of one academic year, parents now know how much their children’s school can raise fees for the coming academic year, which starts in September for most schools.

‘Consistently improved’

Dr Abdulla said: “Our schools have consistently improved year-on-year and this is good news for parents because they now have a wider selection of better quality schools in Dubai. Ten years back, only 30 per cent of students received ‘good’ or better quality education and today this number has more than doubled to 70 per cent. It is important for us to keep pushing towards better quality education and keep up with Dubai’s aspiration and future needs.”

Making new mini-school reports available for quick information before deciding on new schools, parents can access individual school inspection results from the KHDA website.

Each parent also receives individual feedback about their child’s schools in e-mails sent to parents across Dubai’s private schools.

Dr Abdulla added: “Choosing a good school that fits the needs of a child is a big responsibility for parents and we want to make it easier. Good education drives the future of our nation and we want parents to realise the important role they play when it comes to selecting schools offering good education.”

DSIB chief Fatma Belrehif said: “This year we have seen remarkable progress with 18 schools improving their overall rating. Schools with noticeable improvements have been able to consistently integrate inspection findings as part of their overall systematic school improvement plans.”

She noted the number of schools offering ‘good’ or better quality education has increased from 38 schools in 2008 to 119 schools in the current academic year.

School inspections were introduced in Dubai in 2008 with an aim to provide a comprehensive view of the quality of education and contribute significantly to their improvement.

Key Numbers

209 private schools in Dubai

176 schools inspected in 2018-2019

17 different curricula