Dubai schools cost more than UK universities

Margo wearn Saturday, 9 February 2013 1:23 PM - England

I have decided to home school in Dubai because a) i am broke and b) i am (actually) quite intelligent.

Easy solution and the kids can get up at 11 instead of 7.

Skm Friday, 1 February 2013 1:45 AM - UNITED KINGDOM

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/7916927/University-tuition-fees-soar-for-foreign-students.html

University tuition fees soar for foreign students
Foreign students are being charged up to eight times more than British undergraduates as universities seek to plug a multi-million pound hole in the higher education budget.

New figures show students from outside Britain and the EU will pay an average of �10,463 in tuition fees next year ? a rise of 5.6 per cent.

One university ? Imperial College London ? is preparing to charge fees of up to �26,250 for some laboratory-based subjects.
Under Government rules, tuition fees for all British students and those from EU member states are capped at �3,290 next year, but universities are free to set unlimited fees for foreign undergraduates.

A study earlier this year by the think-tank Policy Exchange found that overseas students were increasingly seen as a ?lucrative source of income for a growing numbers of universities?.

Alex Sunday, 27 January 2013 11:28 PM - Dubai

Agree, I have my daughter as an overseas student at Central Saint Martins College and tuition and accommodation in student quarters is equal to Year 10 for my son at GEMS Wellington in Dubai.... No issue normally if quality of education was worth the investment, however, teachers who treat assignments in Dubai as a working holiday and the constant 'in and out' with no continuity of teaching staff makes the quality suffer and the students lacking encouragement and commitment....

Dr Salman Hameed Sunday, 27 January 2013 11:23 PM - UAE

No taxes here in UAE. Even the services here offered to all residents way better than any other country in the world. We dont pay a dollar or pound or Euro to use public toilets like many Western countries despite all the taxes they pay. Education is far more superior in private schools here as compared to western public schools. That's why hundred of thousands of westerners do not want to go back to their own countries as the level and quality of life they enjoy in Dubai is far superior to that in any other country. If you are a law abiding residents than there are no problems. The local emirati community is educated and very tolerant. I have lived in UK and Canada and USA and I know what I am talking about.
I can spend on health and education from the money I save for not paying taxes. I dont have to wait for months or sometimes years waiting for doctors appointments or investigations.
LONG LIVE UAE AND its leaders and all the residents.
May God bless this country.

Telcoguy Monday, 28 January 2013 4:10 PM - UAE

You really do nto know what you are talking about if you think education here is any good. Check any international benchmark like PISA for primary education or the scores of UAE residents (or worst, UAE nationals) at GMAT, GRE or even TOEFL
Denying the problem will do nothing to solve it, but hey, your country, your choice

Oldtimer Monday, 28 January 2013 11:42 AM - UAE

Most of what you mentioned is true, but the level of education here is really pathetic! I am comparing it to the private education I received in a third world country, for far less money ( exchange rates considered)! There was far more commitment to quality education and the teachers were very dedicated to their students. The GEMS group is spoiling the reputation of Dubai by dishing out mediocre fare for top dollar. What is adding to the helplessness of the parents is the near monopoly they have in Indian-curriculum schools. We have a wonderful life here and would like to stay together as a family, and not have to send our kids away to get a better education. We would (at lest I would) gladly pay top dollar, if they only provided quality education. Despite the exorbitant fees they charge, their teachers are paid a pittance, so qualified and experienced ones don't stay for long. The result is a constant change of teachers which adversely affects the students performance

Gamal Monday, 28 January 2013 11:36 AM - UAE

Mr. Salman,
with all due respect, we are talking about cost of education and you are talking about taxes which is irrelevant.

schools are suppose to be either non-profit Org or they are regulated in the sense that they can not simply charge as they like.

as the article mentioned, the KJ student pays more that the university student....where is the sense here.

we need gov intervention just like any other sector..banking etc.
although the quality of education is not the issue here but you went to compare the UK / western education to Dubai schools....which is a poor discussion because it is not relevant and also we all know all the breakthroughs came from the west/ USA ...if u want to compare MIT/ Harvard/ Stanford/Berkely / Oxford/ Cambridge etc.

as a matter of fact, the curriculum that the schools teach in Dubai is either British or American.

so let's not divert and lets compare apples to apples.

the question here is the cost of education period.

one of the joes Monday, 28 January 2013 11:34 AM - uae

Dear Salman, your Dr does not help you from making unqualified statements, it appears. many expats that I know left & live & work happily in countries where they have to pay taxes. I have sent my children back to Europe to attend (private) schools there. All of our children confirm how much better the schools (curriculum, teachers, infrastructure) are compared to here. All of our kids have been to a number of high cost schools in Dubai, they know what they are talking about.
you pay for what you use here, that's just a different collection scheme than with taxes. Nothing is for free here, but that is also not expected.
And in regard to medical services - you know where many Emiratis go for treatment? Europe, namely Germany and UK. Same doctors work here & in Europe, different price. European prices are lower as there is no real estate bubble surcharge one of the joes included in Europe prices.
I still live here as I am closer to where the biz is - in the Gulf region, not for taxes

Maj Sunday, 27 January 2013 3:06 PM - UAE

The greed of the education business people will never stop, and yet, govt. isn't doing a thing about it..... till it will become too late, as usual...... yeah, you heard me, it happens that they are reactive where they should proactive...... yeah, thanks lord, there is at least some kind of activeness so to say.

Pity people have to pay this much of money to give their kids a proper education, where education should be a mission, a mission to be given with the minimum cost to cover the expenses, not to make a huge profit out of it !

let's open a school, have low cost teachers and not even pay them (they need jobs, right?) and overcharge the hell out of everyone who need to educate their kids.

Ali Sunday, 27 January 2013 11:04 AM - USA

I was about to move to Dubai from the US hoping to live the Dubai dream...but reading all these posts and especially the careless nature of the government towards expats and foreign workers and especially the ill treatment and double layers of laws, one for locals and one for foreigners, is something I can not live with at all as I believe every human is equal no matter where they are born.
By the way, to the gentleman who posted above about the same laws in the US for higher university fees for no us citizens, I would like to educate him that we are talking of primary schools here, not universities. Schools in the US are free with the best education whether you are a local or foreigner, so don'teven start to compare. Secondly, even in US universities, you can get schollarships and grants and work on campus and off campus to earn your fees...does Dubai allow that to foreign students??? If you get a univeristy job you pay local fees even if you are a foreigner, so no comparision there!

Joh Sunday, 27 January 2013 11:02 AM - UAE

Guys have commented here about the costs. Of course the cost does not justify the quality they produce. Second, any guy who can sit down with a calculator (or without), will tell how much profitable it is to be that school. If someone can start a simple school wothout the "cosmetic facade" and ensure they have good dedicated teachers (pay them decently), the management will still make profit and also ensure receiving blessings of the parents. The quality of students they generate now is pathetic. Even the show the management puts up for inspection is worth a comedy televesion serial. To add to the misery, if the inspectors say your school is good then they justufy a fee rise.

Telcoguy Sunday, 27 January 2013 3:09 PM - UAE

You raise an interesting point. After reading all the complains and criticisms there seems to be plenty of demand for "value" education. I can not answer why nobody is addressing that need but I would like to add some other points
-In most situations the "value" option is a dead trap as markets quickly break into low-price, low-quality and high-price, luxury with little ground in the middle (but it seems the low-price is not happening here)
-In normal circumstances parents would set up some coop school, this is not happening in Dubai, I suspect this has to do with the transient population (you may only educate your kids here for 1-2 years, why bother) in spite of all the commitment talk
-Few parents are raising the quality issue (far more serious I think)
-People are a bit unrealistic about other people's motivations. If someone is going to bother educating your kids they are more likely to do for profit. If not they would do at home country with poor kids, no middle/high-class expats

Andy Friday, 25 January 2013 12:21 PM - USA

Dubai may be tax free but they more then make up for it in other ways. The other ways that they make up for it exceed taxes paid in western countries. Only for locals does this work out well.

To the locals if I am not mistaken education and medical is all free. Utility bills are also lower. In the areas that they live they also do not have to pay the community fees every year like the ones the expats do.

Ali Sunday, 27 January 2013 3:10 PM - UAE

Hisham, he is not talking about "fees". You have actual "fees", and then you have inflated costs of housing, schooling, and telecom. Housing and schooling take up more than 50% of the income of many cost-conscious families.
On top of that , many newcomers are expected to cough up an entire years rent before they even have 2 months salary.
Blaming "partying" is a red herring, there are plenty of families who dont party, budget all costs and still find it difficutl to save 5% , let alone 35%, mainly because of the high accomodation and schooling costs

kingkaiser Sunday, 27 January 2013 3:08 PM - UAE

@Omar - actually, the more discussed western countries being referring to support their *residents*. Your lower in-state charges apply whether you are American or Armenian.

Hisham Sunday, 27 January 2013 12:34 PM - UAE

@Andy unless you're talking about someone from some banana country, this can hardly be true. All the fees and extra charges together can never amount to 30% of your earnings, or in some European nations' cases, over 50%. Instead, it's the expats themselves who have created what they refer to as the "Dubai lifestyle", which in their case is a lifestyle of clubbing, alcohol and eating out three times per day. With that in mind, any country would be expensive. It can even be a quite amusing minstrel show to look at, and to see how new expats are pulled into this lifestyles by the ones who are already here. If you live according to your means and maintain the European lifestyle, you can save at least 35% of your salary. If you want to drive Porsches on a 12K salary, you don't have to be a math genius, and any type of "machine" will swollow up your money.

Adam Friday, 25 January 2013 11:14 AM - UAE

@ Omar is back, very well said Omar, the standard of living in Dubai and the UAE as a whole is high and it costs a lot to reside and lead a reasonably decent lifestyle in this great country. Expats chose to come to the golden shores of the Arabian Gulf, nobody forced them to come or drag their children along. Since they chose to educate their children in the UAE, they should be able to pay the fees and or send them back home to pursue their studies not make an annual big hue & cry. Those days when the teacher use to come to school on a dilapidated bicycle and slippers are long gone and forgotten, education is business people and rightly so.

Telcoguy Saturday, 26 January 2013 1:04 PM - UAE

@Mike, yes I am sure most people would like to get Scandinavian-level of education (Finland being the highest scorer in PISA, I hope you will allow me to include them as Scandiavians) But is also clear that most people in the UAE do not fancy Scandinavian-level taxation
And honestly there is no reason why the UAE government should spend resources educating the expat's children. The very same expats that are reminded every few days of their "guest", transient status... It is simply not consistent.
So you are left with purely for-profit schools that perform on the same level as other service providers here (think of banks, DEWA, Etisalat...)
Sending kids home for schooling is really an option, probably the best one regarding education. It may not be something you like based on other criteria (I guess family life and all that), but that is the deal when you take an expat job, you are no longer at home for good and bad
Maybe you should talk other parents and start your coop school

Mike DeLonghi Friday, 25 January 2013 5:44 PM - Saudi Arabia

Adam, some of the best, most qualified teachers I had as a kid were the ones wearing 'slippers' and 'riding old bicycles'. Your other arrogant statement that our kids should just be sent home for school if we can't afford school fees and that 'education is business' both have a rather hollow ring to it. I went through public schools in Scandinavia and still made it as an Exec in multinational company. Surely, I prefer that model of having an actual choice between public/private education rather than being force-fed over priced, monopolized private schooling such as in Dubai. If you can't appreciate that the current state of UAE education (for expats, mind you locals get it for free!) is basically flawed, then I can only speculate about your motives for posting such blunt statements.

Omar is back Thursday, 24 January 2013 5:13 PM - Dubai

Nobody cares or will ever care about high fees and extra charges bcz: 1st) it's a matter of incredible demand bcz more & more people come to Dubai for work& thus, Dubai schools occupancy is no less zan 200%(no kidding)!,2nd) schools know very well zat 75% of their students' tuition are paid for by companies (so 40 or 60k no big difference), 3rd)schools r NOT subsidised bcz locals r either more than capable to pay xx or have free local schools option while exapts are just temp. alien residents,4th)Dubai is a top rich&famous global dest. thus, a mother coming with a Porsche wont care much if 40 or 60k & school onwers know zis, 5th)z rating system& inc. fees ideally entice absolute greed wiz no control whatsoever (shameful but n0body cares!), 6th)Dubai campuses r very fancy, ASD press release said new campus costed $128 million!!,7th)schools know zat most parents r eager to get Western education no matter what,8th)schools can simply say u have no money go 2cheaper Asian schools! Liife!!!!