High cost of education is ‘biggest challenge faced by parents’

More families are looking to save money by moving their children to more affordable schools.

DUBAI // The high cost of education is one of the biggest challenges parents face, which is why more families are looking to save money by moving their children to classes at new, more affordable schools.

Indian mother Veathika Jain moved her two children, aged 5 and 7, because their school was increasing fees by Dh10,000.

“My older son used to go to Uptown Mirdif School, where his fee was Dh40,000,” Ms Jain said.

“When my second child was getting into school, they increased the fee to Dh50,000, and we could not spend Dh100,000, so moved them to Raffles World Academy, where we now pay between Dh30,000 and Dh40,000 each.”

Another parent said her son’s school fees went from Dh60,000 when he started six years ago to Dh84,000, due in September.

“Dubai is an expensive place and the cost of living is so high,” said Swati, whose son studies at an American curriculum school.

“If you want good staff, schools have to pay for it but the expense falls on parents.

“Almost yearly, there is a fee increase. Schools say the fees will go up because they have to pay higher salaries to keep the teachers, and improve facilities and infrastructure.

“But if parents aren’t making more money, how can they sustain it?

“Education is one thing parents don’t want to compromise on, but the question is: where will the money come from?”

Fewer pupils in classes is also affecting teachers, as some schools lay off staff.

Mayur International School in Abu Dhabi made five kindergarten teachers redundant last month.

The lower number of pupils was blamed as the reason for letting staff go, according to an employee.

“A lot of teachers have concerns about salary and cost of living due to the current situation in the UAE education market,” said James Mullan, managing partner at Education Intelligence Group consultancy.

“They’re aware of conditions in the UAE and also know about the global teaching crunch.

“In this situation, teachers in Abu Dhabi and Dubai may choose to go to Thailand, Singapore, Australia or China for better opportunities, personal development and stability.”