More than four in 10 parents of pupils at private schools in Dubai pay less than Dh18,000 ($4,900) in fees every year, a report published by the regulator of schools in the emirate has found.
Data from the Knowledge and Human Development Authority shows only 9 per cent of parents pay more than Dh75,000 while another 22 per cent pay between Dh18,000 and Dh35,000.
The average school fee in the city’s private schools was Dh29,057 in 2019, with 51 per cent of parents paying less than Dh20,000 in fees.
Dubai registered an increase in the number of pupils going to private school – from 279,191 in the autumn of 2020 to 289,019 this year.
In 2019, there were 295,148 children enrolled at the city’s 208 schools.
In March this year, two new Dubai schools with fees starting from Dh29,900 received more than 2,000 applicants a day after the government announced their launch.
Private schools in Dubai did not increase fees for the 2021-22 academic year, the second consecutive year that fees remained steady.
Many schools in the emirate offered discounts to parents during the Covid-19 pandemic, while some institutions restructured their fees to reduce the economic burden on parents.
Dr Abdulla Al Karam, director general of KHDA, said: "The growth in pupil enrolment shows the confidence that parents have in the ability of Dubai schools to provide high-quality education in all circumstances.
"The sustained development of the emirate’s school sector reflects the energy, resilience and dynamism that Dubai has been able to maintain.
"Consistent with the Expo 2020 theme of opportunity, our education sector continues to offer families and investors new possibilities.”
UK curriculum schools teach the majority of pupils, with more than 102,000 children. Another 75,592 pupils are enrolled at Indian schools, while 45,051 study at American schools.
There are 20,224 teachers working in the emirate. The report revealed that almost half of all teachers in Dubai were under 40 years old, with India, the UK and Egypt making up the top three nationalities.
