DUBAI — Nineteen new private schools with a capacity to admit nearly 28,000 pupils in different grades will be opened in the emirate in the next two academic years.
The new private schools, to be licensed by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), are expected to meet the growing demand for quality schools among low and high income families.
Among these, six schools with a capacity to accommodate nearly 7,700 students will open its doors to pupils in the 2008-09 academic year. Raffles International; Star International School, Mirdiff; Star International School, Jumeirah; Uptown High, Dar Al Marefa; and Worood School will open their doors to the students this September.
Another new school, Rajagiri International School, which follows the Indian curriculum, opened early this April.
The new schools will bring the total number of private schools operating in Dubai to over 155 schools.
Officials of the KHDA said the fee structure of the schools would range from low end to high end. The two Star International Schools and Al Worood will adopt the British curriculum, while Uptown High and Dar Al Marefa will prescribe to the International Baccalaureate, and Raffles International will follow the American curriculum.
The fee structure of some of the schools opening this year could range from about Dh17,000 to Dh54,000.
Welcoming the decision, Margaret Read, a parent, said, "It is interesting to note that there will be more schools set up in Dubai as there is a huge demand for good schools. Besides, everyday, there are new people coming to live in the emirate."
Another parent, Rashmi Nair, observed, "This would give us more options. We need more Indian and other curriculum schools whose tuition fees are reasonable."
By Preeti Kannan