Knowledge and Human Development Authority of Dubai Revealed that there is an alteration in the fees of private schools in the next school year 2016-2017, as per the education cost index approved by DSC, which is 3.21%. Accordingly, the maximum permitted percentage for the increase in school fees for the next year is 6.42% for exceptional schools and 3.21% for schools under "Passable", "Weak" and "Very Weak" categories. The school fees increased in comparison to last year's fees by 0.29%. The education cost index is calculated by DSC by means of a followed methodology in calculating school workers' salaries, rents, maintenance, electricity and water consumption costs, according to accurate, comprehensive data concerning the operational costs in Dubai's educational sector.
As per the School Fee Regulation Framework, approved by the Executive Council of the Emirate of Dubai and the State's control framework and school evaluation criteria, which came into force starting this school year, private schools under "Distinguished" category are allowed to amend their fees at a percentage that is twice the education cost index, while schools under "Very good" category can amend their fees at a multiplier of 1.75 of the school cost index. Schools under "Good" category use the multiplier of 1.5, while schools under "Passable", "Weak" and "Very weak" get what is equivalent to the school cost index.
Systems and Permits Manager of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority of Dubai, Mohammed Ahmed Darwish, stated that, "The index is considered a safety valve for parents, as it maintains sustainability in their children's schools. This lays the foundation for a stable educational environment in the long run in Dubai for all stakeholders, including education service providers".
"This step comes as an implementation of the School Fee Regulation Framework in Dubai, announced in April 2012, which was prepared by a dedicated team comprised of representatives from a number of government authorities, namely the Executive Council of the Emirate of Dubai, Department of Economic Development, Dubai Statistics Center, Department of Finance of the Government of Dubai, Dubai Chamber and Dubai Real Estate Corporation, in addition to Knowledge and Human Development Authority. They agreed on the aspired scope and objectives of the School Fee Regulation Framework, after consultation with the relevant parties, through feedback, conducting case studies, collecting and analyzing data and approving the implementation of governance approach in policy making".
"The school fee regulation framework connects the 'quality of education' to the 'education cost index', so as to protect the interests of students and their parents, as beneficiaries of the education services, in addition to providing a suitable climate for investors in the education sector and encouraging them to promote education quality in Dubai, through an integrated system for applying school fees and studying both the educational and economic aspects in a way that protects the interests of all stakeholders in the education process", added Darwish. He also advised that the Authority, according to a set annual mechanism, informed private schools in Dubai officially of the education cost index approved by DSC for the next school year 2016-2017. Students' parents can also get to know the potentially altered rates of school fees after the issuance of the school control results, through direct communication with the private schools in Dubai. He also requested schools to share information with the students' parents in this respect.