118 Dubai schools to raise fees in 2014-15

Dubai’s education authority has approved annual fee hikes for 118 private schools, it has confirmed.

A further eight still being considered also could be granted the increase, while only 28 schools will not raise fees, either because they did not apply or they are not eligible.

The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) said the value of the increases was determined by a combination of the education cost index issued by Dubai Statistics Centre in January and school inspection results.

In the 2014-15 academic year, outstanding schools granted a fee increase will be allowed to raise them by up to 3.48 percent; good schools can go up to 2.61 percent and acceptable and unsatisfactory schools are allowed a hike of up to 1.74 percent.

Schools less than three years old usually are not eligible to raise fees.

In February, the Dubai Executive Council (DEC) set a new cap for fee increases at 7 percent depending on a school’s performance.

The maximum fee increase will come into play when the cost of education in the emirate rises by more than 3.5 percent annually, according to ECI, which takes into account salaries, rent, utilities and the consumer price index.

Schools fees in Dubai have become a concern for some parents who claim they are expensive, particularly compared to the cost of education in other countries, while there is no alternative for government-funded schools as in their home countries.