Increase in number of pupils a positive sign

Proliferation of schools should be backed by strong focus on quality of education and value for money

It is interesting to note, according to Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), that the growth rate of school students in Dubai is exceeding the growth rate of the total population of the emirate. With a seven per cent increase in school-goers per year, the last decade has seen a huge increase in demand for school seats in Dubai. This academic year alone, nine new schools have opened in the emirate, offering diverse curricula, and yet, there is a shortfall in availability says KHDA, urging private investors to come forward and set up more schools.

While this bodes well for Dubai’s knowledge-based economy, it is vital that proliferation of schools be accompanied by a strong focus on the quality of education and value for money. The latter is of particular significance as more and more parents in Dubai have been expressing concern over the rising costs of school education and the returns on their investment for their children. KHDA’s annual school ratings, an effective mechanism that promotes a synergy of quality and cost, needs to work towards making all schools in Dubai, new and old, deliver a standard of education that rises above profit-making.

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