Schools in Dubai will be able to raise fees by up to 3.48 per cent this year based on the latest Education Cost Index (ECI)
The Executive Council of Dubai yesterday released the annual index, calculated by the Dubai Statistics Centre. The ECI is affected by the consumer price index and specifically addresses the costs of running a school, including salaries, rent and utilities.
The tuition increase will depend on the performance of the schools.
A spokesperson from the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) told in a statement: “Outstanding schools will be eligible for up to a 3.48 per cent raise, good schools are eligible for up to 2.61 per cent and the rest will be granted up to a 1.74 per cent rise.”
The representative said the KHDA has already communicated the change of the ECI to all private schools in Dubai. However, the schools can only raise fees after the Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau (DSIB) results are made public.
Meanwhile, the Executive Council said a framework would be developed to give schools the right to apply to restructure their fees if inflation rates negatively affect the profitability and development of services.
Commenting on the impending increase, Shikha Nambiar, the mum of a six-year-old attending a currently ‘outstanding’ school, told: “I’m upset, but I’m not surprised.
It’s seems to be a norm to increase the fees every year – and there’s a whole list of excuses for it even though the school does nothing extra for the extra money.”
But Clive Pierrepont, the director of communications for education provider Taaleem, said most operators will not see the news as helpful for their future plans and aspirations. He said: “In a period of frozen fees last year and a small increase for the next academic year, costs continue to increase annually, at five to 10 per cent on average. In the past we have tried to absorb these as far as possible by prudent housekeeping and cost review exercises. The announced increase, 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.”
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