Enrolment rates in Dubai schools are swelling as the number of families leaving the emirate declines, with senior school figures telling The National that waiting lists are now commonplace.
New schools are being built to cope with the influx of extra pupils, with some schools operating on a strict one-out, one-in policy.
“One of the main reasons is because families are not looking at staying in Dubai on a temporary basis any more,” said Lisa Whyte, head of admissions at school operator Taaleem.
The days of people staying in Dubai for a year or two seem quite old-fashioned now
Lisa Whyte,
Taaleem
“The days of people staying in Dubai for a year or two seem quite old-fashioned now.
“They are looking at staying here for the long term now.”
Five years ago, as much as 10 per cent of pupils were leaving Taaleem schools due to their families moving to other countries.
Now that figure is down to 1.5 per cent, according to Ms Whyte.
“We’re seeing a lot of parents buying their homes now, a lot more than previously was the case. They aren’t renting as much,” she said.
The shift away from the transitory lifestyle of previous years has created challenges for educators in the UAE.
“The number of pupils applying to our UK curriculum schools far outweighs the number of seats available,” she said.
“Dubai British School Emirates Hills has always been oversubscribed, but this year, Dubai British School Jumeirah Park has also reached capacity regarding pupil enrolment.
“Due to not having enough seats in our current UK curriculum schools to accommodate the influx of applications, the two new schools we have announced will be well received by parents, as they are needed to meet demand.”
Taaleem announced in May that the Dubai British School Jumeira would open in August 2024, in time for the 2024-25 academic year.
It will have the capacity for 1,650 pupils in Al Wasl and another school will open in Mira in 2025.
An average waiting list would be about 150 pupils long in an oversubscribed school such as Dubai Emirates Hills, she added.
Population growth
The Knowledge and Human Development Authority, the emirate's education regulator, announced in March that Dubai's private school population had surpassed 300,000 for the first time.
The emirate’s population reached the 3.5 million mark in April last year due to a rise in migration.
Population growth is a driving factor for Dubai’s government, with a target figure of 5.8 million planned by 2040, along with a major physical expansion of the city.
“Dubai is increasingly being seen as a place to commit to and settle down in now,” said Campbell Douglas, president and chief executive of Gems Wellington Academy Al Khail.
“Golden visas, attractive business start-up packages, lifestyle opportunities, a buoyant economy and its continuing reputation as an extremely safe place to live means that people are seeing Dubai as a great place to bring your family and settle in.”
This has led to an increase in pupil numbers, he added.
“Fortunately, at Gems Wellington Academy Al Khail, we have been able to accommodate these increases in most year groups for this year,” said Mr Douglas.
“However, come September, we will be close to full and have waiting lists in all primary year groups as well as some secondary.
“We will need to operate these waiting lists on a one-out, one-in scenario as we will not compromise on the space and facilities we offer to students by over-enrolling.”
Another factor for the surge in pupils has been how Dubai has positioned itself in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, said another expert.
“Fewer students are leaving the country and we're still seeing significant numbers of new joiners arriving from other countries,” said Simon Herbert, head of school and chief executive at Gems International School Al Khail.
“Following the Covid-19 pandemic, jobs have settled and people see Dubai as a desirable location, with opportunity for stability and progression.
“Schools in Dubai are equally attractive, offering a variety of curriculums, including blended curricula, to suit the needs and aspirations of a wide range of families.”
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The specs
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Price, base / as tested: Dh204,750 / Dh241,500
Engine: 5.0-litre V8
Gearbox: 10-speed automatic
Power: 460hp @ 7,000rpm
Torque: 569Nm @ 4,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 10.3L / 100km
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2003 Beat Mark Philippoussis
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LA LIGA FIXTURES
Saturday (All UAE kick-off times)
Valencia v Atletico Madrid (midnight)
Mallorca v Alaves (4pm)
Barcelona v Getafe (7pm)
Villarreal v Levante (9.30pm)
Sunday
Granada v Real Volladolid (midnight)
Sevilla v Espanyol (3pm)
Leganes v Real Betis (5pm)
Eibar v Real Sociedad (7pm)
Athletic Bilbao v Osasuna (9.30pm)
Monday
Real Madrid v Celta Vigo (midnight)
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
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ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
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The biog
Year of birth: 1988
Place of birth: Baghdad
Education: PhD student and co-researcher at Greifswald University, Germany
Hobbies: Ping Pong, swimming, reading
Isle of Dogs
Director: Wes Anderson
Starring: Bryan Cranston, Liev Schreiber, Ed Norton, Greta Gerwig, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Scarlett Johansson
Three stars
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ICC Awards for 2021
MEN
Cricketer of the Year – Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Babar Azam (Pakistan)
Test Cricketer of the Year – Joe Root (England)
WOMEN
Cricketer of the Year – Smriti Mandhana (India)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Lizelle Lee (South Africa)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Tammy Beaumont (England)
Recipe: Spirulina Coconut Brothie
Ingredients
1 tbsp Spirulina powder
1 banana
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1 tbsp fresh turmeric or turmeric powder
½ cup fresh spinach leaves
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Method
Blend all the ingredients together on high in a high-speed blender until smooth and creamy.
The specs
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MATCH INFO
Europa League final
Who: Marseille v Atletico Madrid
Where: Parc OL, Lyon, France
When: Wednesday, 10.45pm kick off (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
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2). Roberto Soldado - Valencia - £25m: Flop
3). Erik Lamela - Roma - £25m: Jury still out
4). Son Heung-min - Bayer Leverkusen - £25m: Success
5). Darren Bent - Charlton Athletic - £21m: Flop
6). Vincent Janssen - AZ Alkmaar - £18m: Flop
7). David Bentley - Blackburn Rovers - £18m: Flop
8). Luka Modric - Dynamo Zagreb - £17m: Success
9). Paulinho - Corinthians - £16m: Flop
10). Mousa Dembele - Fulham - £16m: Success
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BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
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Torque: 1,000Nm
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5pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 2,400m
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7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 1,600m
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m
The National selections:
5pm: Valcartier
5.30pm: AF Taraha
6pm: Dhafra
6.30pm: Maqam
7pm: AF Mekhbat
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World Cup League Two
Results
Oman beat Nepal by 18 runs
Oman beat United States by six wickets
Nepal beat United States by 35 runs
Oman beat Nepal by eight wickets
Fixtures
Tuesday, Oman v United States
Wednesday, Nepal v United States
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Results
Men's finals
45kg:Duc Le Hoang (VIE) beat Zolfi Amirhossein (IRI) points 29-28. 48kg: Naruephon Chittra (THA) beat Joseph Vanlalhruaia (IND) TKO round 2.
51kg: Sakchai Chamchit (THA) beat Salam Al Suwaid (IRQ) TKO round 1. 54kg: Veerasak Senanue (THA) beat Huynh Hoang Phi (VIE) 30-25.
57kg: Almaz Sarsembekov (KAZ) beat Tak Chuen Suen (MAC) RSC round 3. 60kg: Yerkanat Ospan (KAZ) beat Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) 30-27.
63.5kg: Abil Galiyev (KAZ) beat Nouredine Samir (UAE) 29-28. 67kg: Narin Wonglakhon (THA) beat Mohammed Mardi (UAE) 29-28.
71kg: Amine El Moatassime (UAE) w/o Shaker Al Tekreeti (IRQ). 75kg: Youssef Abboud (LBN) w/o Ayoob Saki (IRI).
81kg: Ilyass Habibali (UAE) beat Khaled Tarraf (LBN) 29-28. 86kg: Ali Takaloo (IRI) beat Emil Umayev (KAZ) 30-27.
91kg: Hamid Reza Kordabadi (IRI) beat Mohamad Osaily (LBN) RSC round 1. 91-plus kg: Mohammadrezapoor Shirmohammad (IRI) beat Abdulla Hasan (IRQ) 30-27.
Women's finals
45kg: Somruethai Siripathum (THA) beat Ha Huu Huynh (VIE) 30-27. 48kg: Thanawan Thongduang (THA) beat Colleen Saddi (PHI) 30-27.
51kg: Wansawang Srila Or (THA) beat Thuy Phuong Trieu (VIE) 29-28. 54kg: Ruchira Wongsriwo (THA) beat Zeinab Khatoun (LBN) 30-26.
57kg: Sara Idriss (LBN) beat Zahra Nasiri Bargh (IRI) 30-27. 60kg: Kaewrudee Kamtakrapoom (THA) beat Sedigheh Hajivand (IRI) TKO round 2.
63.5kg: Nadiya Moghaddam (IRI) w/o Reem Al Issa (JOR).
Company: Instabug
Founded: 2013
Based: Egypt, Cairo
Sector: IT
Employees: 100
Stage: Series A
Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors
Seven tips from Emirates NBD
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2. Never store a card PIN (personal identification number) in your mobile or in your wallet
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5. Never share authentication data such as passwords, card PINs and OTPs (one-time passwords) with third parties
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7. Report lost or stolen debit and credit cards immediately
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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Du Football Champions
The fourth season of du Football Champions was launched at Gitex on Wednesday alongside the Middle East’s first sports-tech scouting platform.“du Talents”, which enables aspiring footballers to upload their profiles and highlights reels and communicate directly with coaches, is designed to extend the reach of the programme, which has already attracted more than 21,500 players in its first three years.
What is Reform?
Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.
It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.
Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.
After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.
Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.
The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.
