Private schools in Dubai allowed to hike fees by up to 6.4%

Outstanding private schools in Dubai can hike their fees by 6.4 per cent as the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) announced that school tuition fees for the academic year 2016-17 can be raised by between 3.2 and 6.4 per cent. A new Education Cost Index (ECI) for 2016 announced by Dubai Statistics Centre will allow private schools in Dubai to adjust their costs for the new academic year. The ECI has been set at 3.21 per cent, allowing schools to apply for a cost adjustment in line with the KHDA fee framework.However, the education regulator's green signal on Sunday to raise fees for the fourth time in five years has met with disapproval from many parents facing a cash crunch as living costs continue to rise. There are 173 private schools in Dubai and 255,208 students studying in them. Also, officials in the KHDA stressed that new schools are not allowed to increase fees in the first three years of the school's operation.   Khaleej Times