Indian schools: High fees = better education?

Finding the right school for your child can be a daunting task. With so many schools to choose from, parents aren’t sure which one to put their children in. While there are many parameters, like the scientific grading by the Knowledge and Human Authority (KHDA) to the slightly intangible ones like recommendations from friends and family, many parents often assume that the school that charges a higher fee inevitably offers better education because of the law of demand and supply. That is, a school that can afford to charge a higher fee in a competitive market would, necessarily, be offering a higher standard of education – or else, why would parents still continue to enrol their wards in it? To be fair, a child’s education puts a reasonably huge strain on the parents’ monthly budget, but that’s something parents are willing to sacrifice for their child’s good upbringing. “We are not going to compromise for our children’s education. If it means putting them in a premium school, then we will do it. Everything else is secondary when their education comes into the picture,” reasons an Indian parent, whose kids go to Dubai Modern High School. The theory, however, does not hold true for Indian schools in Dubai. When Emirates 24|7 scanned the fees structure of the top nine Indian schools, the results painted a different reality. Based on the Dubai School Inspection Bureau’s (DSIB) rating for the new academic year, Emirates 24|7 decided to compare the fees of two ‘outstanding’ and seven ‘good’ schools in Dubai that offer Indian curriculum. When comparing the two schools ranked ‘outstanding’ – Dubai Modern High School and The Indian High school – it showed two ends of the spectrum. While the disparity in fees charged by the two schools is staggering, they both are united in their offer of ‘outstanding’ education. Dubai Modern High School’s fees are six times higher than that of The Indian High School. The Dubai Modern High School, in its official website, broadcasts its fee structure of Dh28,361 annually for kindergarten, Dh38,075 for grade X, and Dh42,050 for grade XII. The Indian High School, however, charged roughly Dh3,750 (annually) for kindergarten, Dh5,950 for Grade X and Dh7,400 for Grade XII. These amounts, however, do not factor in transportation and other miscellaneous fees. The structure also showed variations for the seven ‘good’ schools. While Our Own Indian School was at the lowest, charging Dh9,689 for Grade XII, The Millennium School was at the top with Dh20,654 for the same year. The Indian High School Branch and Rajagiri International School offered classes only up to Grade 6 and 7, respectively. All fees for the Indian schools are paid in monthly installments. GOOD Schools                                                         KG                           Grade X                                Grade XII Our Own Indian School                                        Dh4,753                     Dh7,740                               Dh9,689 Our Own English High School                            Dh6,015                      Dh10,460                           Dh12,747 Our Own High School                                           Dh6,015                      Dh10,339                           Dh12,69 4 Delhi Private School                                              Dh8,460                      Dh10,980                           Dh11,850 The Millennium School                                         Dh14,045                     Dh19,414                           Dh20,654 Rajagiri International School                                Dh9,750                      Dh17,000 (Grade 7) The Indian High School Branch                            Dh8,300                      Dh9,700 (Grade 6) Emirates 24/7