Affordable schools in the UAE have reported increased enrolment this year as parents look to lower their education spending.
Some low-cost schools said they are oversubscribed with long waiting lists.
Headteachers said parents were looking for lower-fee options and moving children out of expensive schools.
Registrars in the emirates also said they admitted pupils weeks after schools opened on August 30.
The Winchester School, Jebel Ali, said it doubled the number of new admissions this year.
The school said 700 new children joined this academic year as compared to an average of 350 in the past.
Fees at the school range from Dh13,800 for foundation stage to Dh30,800 for year 13.
Meenakshi Dahiya, principal at The Winchester School, said: “Every year we have a long waiting list and this year it’s even longer.
“We have more than 4,200 pupils at our school of which more than 700 pupils have joined this year.
“We did not get many pupils from outside the country but we got many pupils from higher-fee schools."
The number of pupils remains high even after factoring in those who left the school in the past months due the pandemic.
Darul Huda Islamic School, an Indian curriculum school in Al Ain, where fees range from Dh5,000 in kindergarten to Dh10,300 in grade 12, is running at full capacity with 1,800 pupils.
Muneer Chalil, principal at the school, said: “We have around 200 new pupils [this year]. Pupils are moving from other schools. We attract people in the middle-income group.”
Headteachers said parents were switching schools even in the middle of the first term.
Many parents who waited for schools to reopen are now applying to different schools.
Officials at Delhi Private School Dubai said the school now has 3,800 children, the largest pupil population in its history.
Rashmi Nandkeolyar, principal at the school, said: “We are absolutely full, and have recruited 150 pupils more than the number we do annually.
“Every year 500 pupils are recruited but this year that number has gone up to 650 pupils.
“We do see that parents are moving to affordable schools which have a good rating."
Ms Nandkeolyar said the quality of learning at the school and its affordable fees helped attract pupils.
Fees at the school range from Dh10,298 in kindergarten to Dh14,416 in grade 12.
The Indian High School has more than 17,000 pupils, making it the UAE’s largest school.
Punit Vasu, its chief executive, said the school received 2,000-3,000 applications per month since the pandemic started.
Muneer Ansari, director at the International Indian School in Abu Dhabi, said the school had 750 pupils this year, up from 600 in 2019.
"It is not a huge surge but we have enrolled pupils and have noticed parents are choosing schools with lower fees,” he said.
Mr Ansari said the school's parent community had been affected by job losses and pay cuts.
"We had many pupils seeking admissions as they are moving out from American and British curriculum schools," he said.
While around 100 pupils left the school, there are close to 150 children who joined this year.
Some schools lowered their fees and have reported an increase in new admissions.
Hartland International School, a British curriculum school in Dubai, reduced its fees by up to Dh15,000 this year.
The fee for year one pupils has been reduced from Dh65,000 in 2019 to Dh49,800 this year.
Fiona Cottam, principal at Hartland International School, said: "We have recruited incredibly well and have taken 100 new pupils which in this climate is quite unusual.
"We are seeing lots of movement across the city and are seeing lots of new people coming in as well."
Ms Cottam said the reduced fees helped parents stay back at the school.
"They might have had to leave as they could not afford the existing fees. We did lose many pupils because parents lost their jobs."
In June, education experts at Boston Consulting Group predicted that UAE's most expensive schools could take the biggest financial hit from the coronavirus pandemic as parents looked at moving their children to more affordable mid-tier schools.
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Company profile
Date started: Founded in May 2017 and operational since April 2018
Founders: co-founder and chief executive, Doaa Aref; Dr Rasha Rady, co-founder and chief operating officer.
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: Health-tech
Size: 22 employees
Funding: Seed funding
Investors: Flat6labs, 500 Falcons, three angel investors
if you go
The flights
Emirates flies to Delhi with fares starting from around Dh760 return, while Etihad fares cost about Dh783 return. From Delhi, there are connecting flights to Lucknow.
Where to stay
It is advisable to stay in Lucknow and make a day trip to Kannauj. A stay at the Lebua Lucknow hotel, a traditional Lucknowi mansion, is recommended. Prices start from Dh300 per night (excluding taxes).
The Africa Institute 101
Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
ENGLAND TEAM
Alastair Cook, Mark Stoneman, James Vince, Joe Root (captain), Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Craig Overton, Stuart Broad, James Anderson
Jetour T1 specs
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Teaching your child to save
Pre-school (three - five years)
You can’t yet talk about investing or borrowing, but introduce a “classic” money bank and start putting gifts and allowances away. When the child wants a specific toy, have them save for it and help them track their progress.
Early childhood (six - eight years)
Replace the money bank with three jars labelled ‘saving’, ‘spending’ and ‘sharing’. Have the child divide their allowance into the three jars each week and explain their choices in splitting their pocket money. A guide could be 25 per cent saving, 50 per cent spending, 25 per cent for charity and gift-giving.
Middle childhood (nine - 11 years)
Open a bank savings account and help your child establish a budget and set a savings goal. Introduce the notion of ‘paying yourself first’ by putting away savings as soon as your allowance is paid.
Young teens (12 - 14 years)
Change your child’s allowance from weekly to monthly and help them pinpoint long-range goals such as a trip, so they can start longer-term saving and find new ways to increase their saving.
Teenage (15 - 18 years)
Discuss mutual expectations about university costs and identify what they can help fund and set goals. Don’t pay for everything, so they can experience the pride of contributing.
Young adulthood (19 - 22 years)
Discuss post-graduation plans and future life goals, quantify expenses such as first apartment, work wardrobe, holidays and help them continue to save towards these goals.
* JP Morgan Private Bank
The biog
Born: Kuwait in 1986
Family: She is the youngest of seven siblings
Time in the UAE: 10 years
Hobbies: audiobooks and fitness: she works out every day, enjoying kickboxing and basketball
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Third Test
Result: India won by 203 runs
Series: England lead five-match series 2-1
Profile
Co-founders of the company: Vilhelm Hedberg and Ravi Bhusari
Launch year: In 2016 ekar launched and signed an agreement with Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi. In January 2017 ekar launched in Dubai in a partnership with the RTA.
Number of employees: Over 50
Financing stage: Series B currently being finalised
Investors: Series A - Audacia Capital
Sector of operation: Transport
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
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GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Brave CF 27 fight card
Welterweight:
Abdoul Abdouraguimov (champion, FRA) v Jarrah Al Selawe (JOR)
Lightweight:
Anas Siraj Mounir (TUN) v Alex Martinez (CAN)
Welterweight:
Mzwandile Hlongwa (RSA) v Khamzat Chimaev (SWE)
Middleweight:
Tarek Suleiman (SYR) v Rustam Chsiev (RUS)
Mohammad Fakhreddine (LEB) v Christofer Silva (BRA)
Super lightweight:
Alex Nacfur (BRA) v Dwight Brooks (USA)
Bantamweight:
Jalal Al Daaja (JOR) v Tariq Ismail (CAN)
Chris Corton (PHI) v Zia Mashwani (PAK)
Featherweight:
Sulaiman (KUW) v Abdullatip (RUS)
Super lightweight:
Flavio Serafin (BRA) v Mohammad Al Katib (JOR)
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Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
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Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
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Price: From Dh98,800
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million