More than half of pupils in Dubai are now attending in-person lessons, the highest number since private schools reopened their doors last year.
Fifty-two per cent are back in classrooms, with the remainder still studying remotely.
The city’s private school regulator, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority, also said enrolment had risen by about 10,000, or 3.9 per cent, since September 2020.
It's great to see that parents have placed their confidence and trust in schools
Today, 97 per cent of eligible school staff have had at least one Covid-19 vaccine shot.
The authorities have expanded the vaccination drive to teenagers aged 16 and 17, and a smaller number aged 12 to 15 have received the shots.
“Parents have always had the choice of distance or face-to-face learning for their children,” said Abdulla Al Karam, director general of the KHDA.
“It’s great to see that parents have placed their confidence and trust in schools and that the government’s safety protocols continue to be rigorously implemented.
“It’s also great that pupils are able to spend time with their friends and teachers in person every day.”
The KHDA report includes new data on early childhood education in Dubai that is expected to help enhance the growth and quality of the sector in the months and years to come.
The latest figures include the number of early childhood centres in the emirate, as well as the numbers of their pupils and teachers.
As of June 2021, more than 10,000 children were attending 169 private early-childhood centres in Dubai, also referred to as nurseries or early learning centres.
Eight additional early childhood centres are expected to open by the end of this year.
In other developments, 92 per cent of teachers at early childhood centres have teaching qualifications, while 10 new schools will open in the 2021/22 academic year.
“The first five years of our lives form the foundation for the kind of adults we will become,” Dr Al Karam said.
“High-quality early childhood education and care is crucial to creating a happy and healthy population, as well as a dynamic and future-focused Dubai. By gathering and sharing data on this sector, we hope to give it greater visibility and encourage even more growth.
“We’re grateful to all the centres we’ve worked with so far, and we look forward to deepening our relationship with them for the benefit of our youngest children and their families in Dubai.”
Pupil enrolment, meanwhile, has grown steadily at Dubai’s private schools over the past year.
In November 2020, 279,191 pupils were enrolled at 210 private schools in Dubai - this has now increased to 289,991.
A KHDA report from last November found that 30 new private schools had opened in the emirate between the academic years 2017 and 2020.
Dubai's new private schools - and their fees
Match info
Wolves 0
Arsenal 2 (Saka 43', Lacazette 85')
Man of the match: Shkodran Mustafi (Arsenal)
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
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FINAL RESULT
Sharjah Wanderers 20 Dubai Tigers 25 (After extra-time)
Wanderers
Tries: Gormley, Penalty
cons: Flaherty
Pens: Flaherty 2
Tigers
Tries: O’Donnell, Gibbons, Kelly
Cons: Caldwell 2
Pens: Caldwell, Cross
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
Fixtures and results:
Wed, Aug 29:
- Malaysia bt Hong Kong by 3 wickets
- Oman bt Nepal by 7 wickets
- UAE bt Singapore by 215 runs
Thu, Aug 30:
- UAE bt Nepal by 78 runs
- Hong Kong bt Singapore by 5 wickets
- Oman bt Malaysia by 2 wickets
Sat, Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong; Oman v Singapore; Malaysia v Nepal
Sun, Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman; Malaysia v UAE; Nepal v Singapore
Tue, Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore; UAE v Oman; Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu, Sep 6: Final
