76% Emiratis attend private schools rated ‘good or better’

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

More than three quarters (77 per cent) of students in Dubai attend private schools rated “good or better,” compared to 70 per cent during the last full inspection cycle during the 2018/19 academic year, according to inspection results released by Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA).

The release of inspection results coincides with school re-enrolment deadlines for the next academic year, enabling parents to make informed and timely decisions about their children’s schooling, according to WAM.

A total of 199 schools were inspected during the latest round of inspections, including six schools that were inspected for the first time.

Twenty schools were rated outstanding; 39 very good; and 84 good.

Twenty-five schools improved their ratings, with 39,795 students benefitting from the positive change.

Dr Abdulla Al Karam, Director-General of KHDA, said, “Private schools in Dubai are known for their commitment to quality and continuous improvement. This year’s results show that thousands more students have access to better quality teaching and learning, a sign of the dedication and expertise of teachers and school leaders. We are grateful to the whole education community for supporting our schools to be among the best in the world.”

Emirati students have also benefitted from the improvement in school ratings. Seventy-six per cent of Emirati students (22,876) now attend a private school rated good or better, compared to 70 per cent in the 2018/19 academic year.

Fatma Belrehif, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai schools Inspection Bureau, said, “We are pleased to see that schools in Dubai have continued their improvement journey. We will continue working with the school community and parents to ensure that all students benefit from the high standard of education offered by Dubai’s private schools.”

Customised parent summary reports and detailed inspection reports for each school will be available on the KHDA website in April.

Recently, the KHDA in Dubai revealed that it approved a three per cent increase in school fees for private schools for the academic year 2023-2024 based on a study of the economic and academic situation in the private school education system in the Emirate of Dubai.

The decision takes into account the interests of all concerned parties and ensures continued improvement of the quality and sustainability of education in all educational curricula applied in private schools in Dubai.

According to Dubai’s School Fees Framework, a private school that improves its rating as per the School Inspection Bureau from Very Weak to Weak, from Weak to Acceptable or from Acceptable to Good is entitled to request its school fees to be increased by double the Educational Cost Index (ECI) of 3 per cent multiplied by 2.

In contrast, a private school that has maintained the same rating of the previous year is entitled to request its school fees to be increased by the ECI of 3 per cent, while a private school that has improved its rating from Good to Very Good is entitled to request its school fees to be increased by the ECI multiplied by 1.75.

A private school that improves its rating from Very Good to Outstanding is entitled to request its school fees to be increased by the ECI multiplied by 1.5, while a private school that has dropped in performance is not entitled to request any increase in its school fees for the next academic year.

Mohammed Ahmed Darwish, Chief Executive Officer of Permits and Compliance at KHDA, stated that the methodology used in the School Fees Framework in Dubai’s private schools is based mainly on the quality of education, which meets the needs of parents on the one hand and enhances the quality of educational options on the other.

The methodology also enhances competitiveness in the private education sector by motivating private schools to improve their performance in KHDA’s education quality ratings, he added, noting that KHDA’s competent work teams help all concerned parties plan carefully for the new academic year in a way that enhances the sustainability of the quality of education in schools.