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19 March 2024

53 Dubai schools apply for fee hike to KDHA

Published
By Sneha May Francis

Earlier this week, the Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau (DSIB) report had unveiled its grading for the year 2011-2012, with 11 schools rated as “outstanding”.

School authorities have sent their applications to KHDA to raise fees by 3 per cent to 6 per cent depending on their grading. However, parents are far from happy. 

Click here to read more about school fee hike

“Fifty-three schools have applied for a fee hike so far,” Mohammed Darwish, Chief of Regulations and Compliance Commission (RCC) told Emirates 24|7.

The official, however, wasn’t able to list out which schools had put in their application. “The applications are still under process. The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) will make this information public once the requests have been finalised,” he added.

As per the guidelines set by the education regulatory authority KHDA, the fee hike will be determined based on the DSIB grading and the Educational Cost Index (ECI), devised by the Dubai Statistics Centre.

Click here to know Dubai school ratings

Schools that are rated “outstanding” will be allowed 6 per cent increase, while schools marked “good” allowed 4.5 per cent, and those listed as “satisfactory” and “unsatisfactory” allowed 3 per cent.

KHDA, which approved the mark-up for this academic year, had informed that the schools could apply after the DSIB report was announced. Detailing the process, Darwish explained, “Depending on the nature of the request and the level of analysis required, processing time for fee applications may take between 5 to 15 working days.”

 The decision of whether to hike or not, the KHDA clarified, lies with the schools.

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“Schools may or may not choose to increase fees. This decision lies with the schools themselves. However, once they have chosen to increase fees and apply to KHDA, they can only do so in line with KHDA’s approval,” he added.

The KHDA framework (https://www.khda.gov.ae/Pages/En/feeframeworken.aspx) also directed the schools “to handle all parental input and queries that are connected with the increases that are in line with the fee framework”.

And, this could become an annual exercise, with schools permitted to apply for a fee increase again next year, but only within the criteria set by the KHDA.