Private schools in Abu Dhabi and Dubai will be allowed to raise tuition fees for the 2023-24 academic year.
It marks the first time in three years that increased charges have been permitted in both emirates.
Education authorities have stated that the amount tuition costs can rise by will be partly determined by performance in most recent school inspections.
Schools have the option to not introduce the allowed fee increase.
The Indian High Group of Schools, which has three campuses in Dubai, confirmed last month it will not increase its fees for the next academic year.
In a letter to parents, Indian High Group of Schools chief executive Punit Vasu announced that despite increasing operational costs and inflation rates, the group has decided to freeze tuition fees for the academic year 2023-2024.
“We are — exactly as we did last year — yet again choosing to keep school tuition fees as is this year, maintaining status quo,” Mr Vasu said in the letter.
Here, the National examines how authorities calculated tuition fee charges for the next academic year.
Abu Dhabi tuition fees
The emirate's Department of Education and Knowledge announced this week that all schools in operation for at least three years would be permitted to increase fees.
The decision was made based on the findings of an Educational Cost Index, supported by the Statistics Centre Abu Dhabi and the results of school inspections, known as Irtiqaa.
The latest inspections were carried out in the 2021-22 academic year, with subsequent assessments halted due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The inspections assess schools based on pupil achievement and personal and social development, as well as standards of teaching and curriculums, leadership, management and support structures for pupils.
Inspectors spend about four days at each school to evaluate their overall performance.
Adek said the decision to put into effect the increases is optional, allowing schools to consider the needs of their communities and pupils before making the final decision.
The regulator said the “three-year pause” in tuition costs was made to support parents during the pandemic and recovery period.
It declined to comment further on its decision to allow schools to increase fees.
How much can fees go up by in Abu Dhabi?
- Schools ranked “outstanding” in inspections have the option to raise fees by up to 3.94 per cent
- Schools ranked “very good” can increase fees by 3.38 per cent
- Schools rated “good” can increase fees by up to 2.81 per cent
- Schools rated “acceptable”, “weak” and “very weak” can implement a maximum 2.25 per cent increase
As well as 11 schools receiving an "outstanding" score, 37 were rated "very good" and 85 were rated good.
Another 63 schools were rated acceptable and one school was rated weak.
Which Abu Dhabi schools can raise fees by the most?
Schools receiving the highest rating of “outstanding” are said to have substantially exceeded expectations under the assessment criteria and are eligible to raise fees by the maximum 3.94 per cent.
These eleven schools received this top rating in the most recent inspections.
- Al Muna Primary School
- Al Yasmina School
- Bloom Academy Al Ain
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi
- Cranleigh School Abu Dhabi
- Merryland International School
- Pearl Primary School
- Raha International School
- Repton Foundation School
- The British International School
- The British School Al Khubairat
Dubai tuition fees
Some Dubai private schools will be allowed to increase tuition fees by up to 6 per cent in the 2023-2024 academic year, the emirate's education regulator has said.
The Knowledge and Human Development Authority made the announcement last month, saying operational costs and the economic situation in the emirate were factors in the decision.
The regulator said only schools which maintain or improve inspection ratings would be allowed to increase fees.
“The approved fee increase takes into account the economic situation of the emirate, as well as the operational costs of running a private school while maintaining the quality of education,” the KHDA said.
“The rate by which schools can increase their fees is tied to each school’s most recent inspection rating from the Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau.”
How much can Dubai schools raise fees by?
- Schools that maintain their inspection ratings will be eligible to raise tuition fees by up to 3 per cent.
- Schools that improve their rating from “weak” to “acceptable” and from “acceptable” to “good” can increase fees by up to 6 per cent.
- Schools that move from “good” to “very good” can increase fees by 5.25 per cent.
- Schools that improve from “very good” to “outstanding” can apply a 4.5 per cent rise.
Dubai school inspection results
Twenty Dubai schools were rated outstanding in the latest round of school inspections by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority.
The figures, which were released earlier this month by the KHDA, showed 199 schools were inspected.
There were 25 schools that improved their performance from the previous inspection in 2019.
What about non-profit schools?
A number of non-profit schools were able to raise fees during the current academic year, despite the freeze being in place elsewhere.
At least four non-profit schools in Dubai planned to increase charges by between 5 per cent and 8, The National reported in June.
Only a handful of schools in the country are non-profit, meaning that they are governed by an independent board and reinvest any profits they earn into the school.
Fiona McKenzie, head of Carfax Education UAE, said non-profit schools have more autonomy in setting their fees than their for-profit counterparts.
“Non-profit schools are set up quite differently from for-profit schools — they're much older, they were quite often set up by kind of a royal charter and maybe had been gifted the land (the school was built on),” Ms McKenzie told The National previously.
“They were given kind of an assurance of independence when they were set up. So therefore, they don't fall under the kind of fee restrictions that the for-profit schools do.
“Non-profit schools can increase their fees when they feel that they need to, whereas the for-profit schools come under KHDA regulations.”
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Racecard
6pm: Mina Hamriya – Handicap (TB) $75,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
6.35pm: Al Wasl Stakes – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (Turf) 1,200m
7.10pm: UAE Oaks – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,900m
7.45pm: Blue Point Sprint – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,000m
8.20pm: Nad Al Sheba Trophy – Group 3 (TB) $200,000 (T) 2,810m
8.55pm: Mina Rashid – Handicap (TB) $80,000 (T) 1,600m
The%20specs
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THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile
Started: 2016
Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel
Based: Ramallah, Palestine
Sector: Technology, Security
# of staff: 13
Investment: $745,000
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Top New Zealand cop on policing the virtual world
New Zealand police began closer scrutiny of social media and online communities after the attacks on two mosques in March, the country's top officer said.
The killing of 51 people in Christchurch and wounding of more than 40 others shocked the world. Brenton Tarrant, a suspected white supremacist, was accused of the killings. His trial is ongoing and he denies the charges.
Mike Bush, commissioner of New Zealand Police, said officers looked closely at how they monitored social media in the wake of the tragedy to see if lessons could be learned.
“We decided that it was fit for purpose but we need to deepen it in terms of community relationships, extending them not only with the traditional community but the virtual one as well," he told The National.
"We want to get ahead of attacks like we suffered in New Zealand so we have to challenge ourselves to be better."
Five films to watch
Castle in the Sky (1986)
Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Only Yesterday (1991)
Pom Poki (1994)
The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013)
SPECS
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Barbie
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Normal People
Sally Rooney, Faber & Faber
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
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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.
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Match info
Arsenal 0
Manchester City 2
Sterling (14'), Bernardo Silva (64')
Essentials
The flights
Etihad (etihad.ae) and flydubai (flydubai.com) fly direct to Baku three times a week from Dh1,250 return, including taxes.
The stay
A seven-night “Fundamental Detox” programme at the Chenot Palace (chenotpalace.com/en) costs from €3,000 (Dh13,197) per person, including taxes, accommodation, 3 medical consultations, 2 nutritional consultations, a detox diet, a body composition analysis, a bio-energetic check-up, four Chenot bio-energetic treatments, six Chenot energetic massages, six hydro-aromatherapy treatments, six phyto-mud treatments, six hydro-jet treatments and access to the gym, indoor pool, sauna and steam room. Additional tests and treatments cost extra.
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
