Dubai's leading school operators are set to embark on major teacher recruitment drives to keep pace with the emirate's population boom.
Experts project the emirate's population, which crossed 3.5 million in April, will surge to 5.8 million by 2040, bolstered by a fresh wave of post-pandemic immigration.
Dubai's daytime population — a figure which includes commuting workers who live in other emirates — is set to soar to 7.8 million by this time.
In anticipation of the growing population, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, last year, unveiled the 2040 Urban Master Plan.
There's going to be a huge requirement for teachers in Dubai and what better way of doing so than by growing our own forces from within
Poonam Bhojani,
Innoventures Education
The ambitious blueprint for the future calls for a 25 per cent increase in land allocated to health and education facilities to serve the increasing number of residents.
Figures released this week showed Dubai's pupil population had risen above 326,000 — up from about 303,000 in April.
If Dubai's population does reach 5.8 million by 2040, the school population could approach 550,000.
Private school group set to double in size
Alan Williamson, chief executive at Taaleem, said the school group had doubled its pupil population in the last two years and he said he was hoping to double it again by 2027.
“We went from 13,200 pupils in 2020 pupils to having more than 27,400 in 2022,” said Mr Williamson.
“We expect to continue the growth trajectory of Taaleem in line with the growth of the UAE’s population.
“The fact that Taaleem have a growth trajectory and are planning for the same again, in relation to the previous growth over the last four years would mean that we would need more schools.”
Taaleem has a staff of 1,700 teachers at present and Mr Williamson said that if they were to double their pupil population in the coming years, they may need to hire 1,000 to 1,500 more teachers.
He said independent market research shows there would be 60,000 new pupils in the UAE over the next five years.
“We will also look to quickly pivot to any acquisition that becomes available through us in the market,” said Mr Williamson.
“If you take the five-year strategic plan of Taaleem, we're aligning that with private sector market research and government publications.
“With over 60,000 additional young people coming into the UAE and Dubai, these young people will need schools, and Taaleem will be at the heart of that.”
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Dubai's top schools: in pictures
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Mr Williamson said the school group’s long-term strategy took into consideration the 2040 urban expansion plan and they aimed to build schools to serve developing areas.
Taaleem has announced it will be opening a school in Mira and another in Jumeirah in 2024.
“One of the things I've always thought would have been amazing is for there to have been a school on Palm Jumeirah. I think it's an opportunity as we develop that area of the city to have a school at the heart of that community,” he said.
There were more than 20,000 teachers employed at Dubai’s private schools in 2021, and experts predict this number will grow in line with the emirate itself.
Ashwin Assomull, head of LEK Consulting's Global Education Practice, said the city could expect to welcome hundreds of thousands of pupils in the years ahead, with thousands more teachers needed to meet demand.
“If the population of the city now is what three and a half million and we have 326,000 pupils at private school, so you would probably think that that will probably double again, if you're going to double population,” said Mr Assomull.
'Huge requirement for teachers'
Innoventures Education, which employs 700 teachers across its five schools and seven nurseries in the emirate, aim to expand by more than 35 per cent over the next five years.
Early in 2023, the school group will commence a project to build a school in one of newer communities identified in Dubai’s Vision 2040.
Poonam Bhojani, chief executive of Innoventures, which runs the Raffles and Dubai International Academy (DIA) group of schools, predicted strong demand for teaching staff.
“There's going to be a huge requirement for teachers in Dubai and what better way of doing so than by growing our own forces from within," she said.
“As part of the Emiratisation programme, we are also seeking to develop Emirati talent in teaching areas. I think this would be like a huge opportunity for us to be able to leverage Emirati talent.
“For any country to expand its population so rapidly requires the highest levels of skills and talent and that is where we come into the picture.”
Zafar Raja, group chief operating officer at Gems Education, said it was prepared to meet the needs of a growing city.
“In the last 12 months, we have increased capacity across a number of our schools and opened new campuses in order to better serve our communities and meet rising demand," he said.
“We do have plans for further growth in Dubai and these will be shared with our existing families and the wider Dubai community as we progress them.”
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
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- 600-seat auditorium
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- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
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Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Ipaf in numbers
Established: 2008
Prize money: $50,000 (Dh183,650) for winners and $10,000 for those on the shortlist.
Winning novels: 13
Shortlisted novels: 66
Longlisted novels: 111
Total number of novels submitted: 1,780
Novels translated internationally: 66
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
Pox that threatens the Middle East's native species
Camelpox
Caused by a virus related to the one that causes human smallpox, camelpox typically causes fever, swelling of lymph nodes and skin lesions in camels aged over three, but the animal usually recovers after a month or so. Younger animals may develop a more acute form that causes internal lesions and diarrhoea, and is often fatal, especially when secondary infections result. It is found across the Middle East as well as in parts of Asia, Africa, Russia and India.
Falconpox
Falconpox can cause a variety of types of lesions, which can affect, for example, the eyelids, feet and the areas above and below the beak. It is a problem among captive falcons and is one of many types of avian pox or avipox diseases that together affect dozens of bird species across the world. Among the other forms are pigeonpox, turkeypox, starlingpox and canarypox. Avipox viruses are spread by mosquitoes and direct bird-to-bird contact.
Houbarapox
Houbarapox is, like falconpox, one of the many forms of avipox diseases. It exists in various forms, with a type that causes skin lesions being least likely to result in death. Other forms cause more severe lesions, including internal lesions, and are more likely to kill the bird, often because secondary infections develop. This summer the CVRL reported an outbreak of pox in houbaras after rains in spring led to an increase in mosquito numbers.
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Crazy Rich Asians
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeon, Gemma Chan
Four stars
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Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
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On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
