No school fee hike in Dubai

DUBAI— Parents can breathe a sigh of relief as private schools in Dubai will not be allowed to increase fees this year. The decision by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) will freeze fees for the academic year 2013-14. The move comes in line with the need to control increasing education costs in the emirate. Last year, the KHDA had allowed 129 schools in Dubai to increase fees following the implementation of the School Fees Framework. The framework regulates school fees by linking the cost of education with a school’s individual rating. The Education Cost Index (ECI) calculated by the Dubai Statistics Centre has been decided at -1 per cent this year, denoting a decrease in the cost of education. Mohammed Darwish, Chief of the KHDA’s Regulations and Compliance Commission, said: “We are sending communications about the ECI and its implications to all private schools in Dubai, to ensure they are understood clearly. We urge schools to also share this information with parents.” Parents welcomed the decision as Mohammed Junaid, a parent said: “No one wants to shell out more money every year and this is the right step taken by the authorities. I hope the decision will be implemented by all schools.” However, the announcement met sharp criticism from school owners who cited the decision to control fees could have far-reaching consequences. A spokesperson from GEMS Education said: “GEMS data for the ECI does not correlate with that of the Dubai Statistic Center. As an example, in 2012 alone, we increased wages across all our schools by a range of five per cent to 10 per cent (obviously this represents between 50 to 70 per cent of the operating costs for a school). We have also seen increases in rents and utilities.” Low-cost schools in the emirate would be the worst-hit by the decision as schools charging less than Dh500 are facing the risk of closure and a blanket ban on fee increase will add to their worries. -Muaz Shabandri /Khaleejtimes.com