Living In UAE

UAE: When can private schools increase fees? Everything about ‘School Fees Framework’

School inspection ratings play a role in fee structure

Published: January 04, 2024 06:59 Zainab Husain, Features Writer

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If you have a schoolgoing child in Dubai, understanding how tuition fee hikes work can help you budget your educational expenses or pick a school that matches your financial needs. — For a complete breakdown on how you can find the school fees for private schools in the UAE, read our guide here: gulfnews.com/1.1684943272837 Image Credit: Shutterstock

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In Dubai, private schools follow the guidelines set by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority’s (KHDA) ‘School Fees Framework’, which is a framework used for calculating fee increase in private schools. — It aims to regulate schools fees for private schools in the emirate to protect students and parents and is only applicable to private schools that have completed three years of operation. Image Credit: Shutterstock

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What is tuition fee hike based on? According to KHDA, school fee increases are based on two factors: The results of the Dubai School Inspection Bureau (DSIB) The Educational Cost Index (ECI) — This is for schools which operate for profit and are run by individuals, profit-generating companies or organisations. Image Credit: Shutterstock

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DSIB reviews and assesses the quality of private education in Dubai and releases inspection results for every academic year. — Find out the inspection ratings for Dubai schools for the 2022-2023 academic year here: gulfnews.com/1.94898677 Image Credit: Shutterstock

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ECI measures annual changes in the costs of running a school, including salaries, rent and utilities. The Education Cost Index and the Fee Framework were developed in collaboration with Dubai government entities. — The ECI was created in collaboration with the Dubai Statistics Centre, Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) and Dubai Chamber of Commerce. Image Credit: Supplied

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KHDA regularly announces the percentage by which schools may be able to increase their fees, based on the ECI and linked to the DSIB rating. — Image Credit: Shutterstock

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How is the percentage of increase calculated? The rate by which schools can increase their fees is tied to each school’s most recent inspection rating from DSIB. — Image Credit: Shutterstock

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Calculation for Dubai private school fees increase — This is the breakdown as per KHDA. Image Credit: Shutterstock

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Calculation for Dubai private school fees increase — This is the breakdown as per KHDA. Image Credit: Shutterstock

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So, if the ECI has been set at three per cent, and your child’s school continues to maintain its DSIB rating from the previous year, it will be allowed to increase its fees by up to three per cent. — Image Credit: Shutterstock

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Conditions for fee increase 1. Schools with performance ratings ‘Acceptable’ and lower are required to submit (as part of their application), a KHDA approved action plan detailing how the school will invest in the educational process to improve the quality of education in the school. — If you want a breakdown of the school fees for each school in Dubai, you can use the School Fees Fact Sheet from KHDA, which is a one-page reference that includes all mandatory and optional fees that a school may charge during an academic year. Find out how you can access it, here: gulfnews.com/1.1654231826655 Image Credit: Shutterstock

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2. If schools choose to re-structure their tuition fees to a lower fee structure, then they cannot revert back to the previous fees, and all fee increases (according to the fee framework) will be applicable to the re-structured fees. — Image Credit: Shutterstock

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3. Fee increases meant for a particular academic year can only be implemented in that year and cannot be carried forward to the upcoming academic years. — Image Credit: Shutterstock

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