Dubai schools start hiking fee on KHDA nod

Private schools in Dubai have begun sending fee hike notices to parents after the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) recently announced its annual school inspection results.

Education institutes in the emirate are allowed to raise fees based on KHDA inspection results, and the schools’ grading by KHDA determines the extent to which they can hike tuition fee.

After last year’s freeze, Dubai schools are permitted to increase their fees this year. The Education Cost Index (ECI) determines percentage increase in fees and the average operating cost of a school is calculated at 1.74 per cent for the 2014-15 academic year.

This means that “outstanding” schools can increase fees by 3.48 per cent while “good” ones can do so by 2.61 per cent. A school that receives a rating below good can increase fees by just 1.74 per cent.

While parents are naturally averse to any fee hikes, schools in Dubai insist they need more funds to run the institutions successfully.

“Most educational institutions in this region are new, commercially financed and do not have the benefit of longevity (which reduces annual costs), government subsidies, grants or endowments. In a period of frozen fees last year and a small increase for the next academic year, costs continue to increase annually (5-10 per cent on average),” claimed a senior officer of a group of private schools in the UAE.

“In the past, we have tried to absorb these as far as possible by prudent housekeeping and cost review exercises. The announced increase (as stated above), especially with the added burden of the recent revision of the rent cap in Dubai, is certainly not in line with the financial reality of the situation faced by providers. We recently implemented an average 17 per cent increase in housing allowances to compensate our teaching staff for increase in housing costs within Dubai.

“The quality of education never exceeds the quality of teachers. Research has proved emphatically what good educators have always known, the single most important feature in a successful school is a highly talented and effective staff and its leadership. There is a worldwide shortage of teachers, we compete in a global market to attract and retain the very best of them, with the right experience, a proven track record and specific skills.

“To employ the very top teaching talent we have to offer highly competitive rates of pay, plus benefits. Approximately 70 per cent of our schools’ budget is allocated to staffing; this cannot be done on the cheap. To most operators this announcement will certainly not be seen as helpful for their future plans and aspirations,” he told this website.

On the other hand, various online polls show that parents feel burdened with increasing school fees, especially those who do not receive education allowance from their employers.

A recent survey by website SouqAlMal.com reveals that 78 per cent of parents disagree with the recent approved fee hike and believe this is only an added burden on them.

The survey carried out by the website queried parents about the current educational environment in the UAE with more than 650 parents participating. Over 78 per cent of parents disagreed with further rise in tuition fees.

This is understandable considering that 91 per cent of parents surveyed believe the fees were already high and that any increase would make them give some serious thoughts to the funds spent on the education of their kids, said the portal.
 

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