DUBAI - Private schools in Dubai will not be allowed to increase the tuition fees by more than 16 per cent in the next academic year and those who increased it by 16 per cent last year, will not be allowed further increases.
An estimated 55,475 students from 43 schools in the emirate are expected to be affected by increased tuition fees this year.
Dubai’s educational body, Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), yesterday announced that the 16 per cent ceiling of last year would not change in 2008-09.
The authority stated that schools which hike the fees last year but still remained less than the set ceiling, can top up to a maximum of 16 per cent. For instance, a school that augmented its fee by 10 per cent last year can only increase it by 6 per cent this year. However, educational institutes that raised it by the full allowance in 2007 are ineligible for a fee rise.
According to KHDA, about 94 |schools |of |the total 137 in the emirate had raised their fees last year and hence an estimated 97,525 students from these schools will see no changes in their tuition fees. Five new schools that began operations in 2007-08 will also not be able to impose any increases.
Letters have been sent to all schools informing them of the fee increase each one is entitled to. Officials cautioned that schools that do not comply with the decision “would be dealt with and their licences could be in jeopardy.”
Dr Abdulla Al Karam, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director-General at KHDA, said, “The extension of last year’s decision on allowable fee increases stems from our desire to stabilise the market while permitting the reasonable increases schools may need to cope with the rise in cost of living.”
Not-for-profit schools like community and embassy schools, all eight internationally accredited schools and those who relocated recently will be exempt from KHDA’s ruling and will be dealt on an individual level. A fee ceiling, according to Dr Karam, was not part of the authority’s long-term plan. He said fees would be regulated until the skewed demand and supply for schools was met and parents had an annual report on schools’ performance from the Dubai Inspection Bureau.
He said that KHDA was recommending new schools to sign an agreement with parents to stipulate the estimated fee increase for the next few years, similar to countries like the United Kingdom and the United States.
By Preeti Kannan (Our staff reporter)