Abu Dhabi school fees are set to rise by up to almost 4%, with a new fee-rise framework that allows schools to put up fees based on their performance in recent inspections.
Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge ADEK) has revealed the results of the Educational Cost Index (ECI) and announced the approved structure for optional increase of tuition fees for the academic year 2023/24. Schools that have performed the best in their Irtiqaa inspections, which rate the quality of schools against a number of criteria, will be able to raise their fees by the most, with a cap at just under 4%. Schools that have received a lower Irtiqaa rating have progressively lower fee-rise caps, with those schools who have received the lowest rating – “very weak” – have a limit of 2.25% fee rise.
The academic year 2023/24 marks the fifth consecutive year that potential private school tuition fee increases have been assessed. This is calculated based on the emirate’s Educational Cost Index (ECI) in collaboration with the Statistics Centre Abu Dhabi (SCAD) and individual schools’ Iritqaa inspection scores. As a result, ADEK has sanctioned tuition fee increases for the next academic year.
Consequently, schools that ranked ‘outstanding’ in their Irtiqaa inspections for the academic year 2021/22 have the option to increase their tuition fees with a maximum cap of 3.94% in the new academic year, while schools that achieved a rating of ‘very good’ qualify for a 3.38% tuition fee addition.
Schools rated as ‘good’ are permitted to apply a 2.81% increase, and schools rating ‘acceptable’, ‘weak’, and ‘very weak’ can implement a maximum tuition fee increase of 2.25% – reflecting the ECI score.
To be eligible for a standard tuition fee increase, the school must be operating for a minimum of three years and must adhere to the approved revised fees structure.
According to the latest Irtiqaa inspection results 11 schools were ranked ‘outstanding’, 37 ranked ‘very good’, 85 ranked ‘good’, 63 ranked ‘acceptable’, and 1 ranked ‘weak’.
The announcement follows a three-year pause in tuition fees to support parents during the pandemic and recovery period.
The annual Irtiqaa inspections follow the UAE Unified School Inspection Framework and cover six performance standards: students’ achievement; students’ personal and social development and their innovation skills; teaching and assessment; curriculum; protection, care, guidance, and support of students; and leadership and management. Each standard incorporates 17 performance indicators to assess each school’s academic and administrative effectiveness.
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