Dubai: Despite Emiratis having free access to education in public schools in Dubai, almost 60 per cent of them still choose to attend private schools, where fees can reach more than Dh45,000 per year.
According to a Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) report published yesterday, the number of Emiratis attending private schools in Dubai has increased by 3.2 per cent (950 students) in 2013/14, from the last academic year.
A previous report published by the KHDA in 2013, states that 56.6 per cent of Emiratis attend private schools in Dubai. The additional 3.2 per cent increase this year which adds up to 60 per cent and totals 30,994 students in private schools.
All public schools in the UAE offer Emiratis free education, which is why some might wonder why Emiratis choose private schools. According to a study by the KHDA titled ‘In search of a good education’, 50 per cent of Emirati parents surveyed said they chose private education because they believe it offers a better quality of teaching and learning.
On the other hand, 22 per cent of parents surveyed believed that private schools offer better English language instruction.
The report, which shows the Dubai private education landscape in 2013/2014, found that there was also an increase of 8.3 per cent in the enrolment of all students in Dubai (an increase of 18,616 students) in comparison with last year.
Out of the 158 private schools in Dubai, 10 private schools opened in 2013/14, which Dr. Abdullah Al Karam, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director- General of KHDA, believes will help achieve the UAE’s national objectives.
“Each year, more private schools and universities open their doors, with the year-on-year growth rate now approaching 10 per cent. These new institutions help to ensure that Dubai reaches its goal of 360,000 school places by 2020,” said Al Karam.
The additional capacity gained from the opening of the 10 new schools is 23,000 seats. This increased Dubai private school system’s capacity, so it will be able to accept about 270,000 students if all seats were filled.
Fee breakdown
When it comes to fees, during the academic year 2013-2014, out of the 243,715 students who attend private schools, 11 per cent attended schools that charged more than Dh45,000 per year.
The majority of students (25 per cent) attended schools that charged Dh5,000 to Dh10,000 per year, while 17 per cent attended schools that charged less than Dh5,000 and another 17 per cent attended schools that charged Dh10,000 to Dh15,000.
The total possible annual gross revenue obtained by all private schools from tuition fees alone was Dh4.7 billion.
Student breakdown
Out of the 243,715 students who attend private schools, the majority attended primary schools (101,971), middle school followed with 60,708 students, while 46,212 attended kindergarten.
There are 184 different nationalities in Dubai. The most popular curriculum during the academic year 2013-2014 was the British curriculum where 59 schools catered to 78,936 students. Next is the Indian curriculum with 75,119 students enrolled in 28 schools.
The report says, “Future growth in student enrolments is expected to remain strong and reflect the performance of the underlying economy.”
