Schools to hike fees up to 30% next year

FEE HIKE: The education ministry has agreed to allow some private schools to increase their fees by up to 30 percent next year. (Getty Images)

The UAE Ministry of Education has endorsed fee hikes of up to 30 percent in some private schools in the next academic year, revising a previous ministerial decree which had a limit of a 20 percent hike over a period of three academic years.

The education ministry confirmed on Saturday in a statement that with this amended decree they had resolved the ongoing dispute between parents and private schools on setting fee hikes, reported UAE daily Gulf News.

"Parents have the right to get quality education on a par with international standards," the paper quoted Hanif Hassan, Minister of the Ministry of Education (MoE), as saying.

The newly set fee hike ranges between five and 30 percent, which will be determined in accordance with previous fee hikes in each private school.

The education ministry said it issued the decree while taking into consideration the rise in the cost of living, teachers' salaries, modern equipment and the introduction of the latest technology in education as well as the overall standards provided in schools.

According to the newspaper, two-thirds of the total private schools in Dubai, with 97,525 pupils, will not be able to impose any increase for 2008-2009, because they raised their fees by 16 percent last year.

However, the remaining 31 percent of Dubai schools, with around 55,475 pupils are eligible to increase their fees.

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