School fees hike approved in Abu Dhabi

School fees will increase for 51 private schools in Abu Dhabi after the Abu Dhabi Education Council approved a rise in costs for the 2016-2017 academic year.

In a statement, the emirate’s education sector regulator said that the average increase across the 51 schools is close to 6 per cent. It added that 39 schools that applied to rise their fees were denied permission.

In  order to qualify for such a hike and receive permission from ADEC, schools must show improvement in a number of areas. These include their commitment towards improving human capital through professional development and better salaries for teachers, investment in the maintenance and expansion of the school premises and facilities, and provision and support for special needs pupils.

Schools must also have operated for at least three years and meet set requirements regarding the number of Emirati employees in teaching, administrative and technical positions.

Other criteria include a sustained standard of performance over the previous academic year, a valid operating licence and a closed circuit television camera system installed by a certified company.

In February, schools in Dubai rated as ‘outstanding’ by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority were given the green light to raise their fees by up to 6.4 per cent.

Schools rated by the regulator as ‘very good’ were allowed to raise their fees by 5.61 per cent, those rated ‘good’ by 4.81 per cent, and those rated as ‘acceptable’, ‘weak’, or ‘very weak’ by 3.21 per cent.