Rising School fees, UAE visas, Best new schools in Dubai, Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee, Teacher salaries, Monkeypox virus cases UAE, New KHDA ratings released, Sharjah school-run crash and the Cheapest Indian Schools in Dubai revealed… WHAT MADE THE NEWS FOR SCHOOLS, PARENTS AND STUDENTS IN EDUCATION THIS WEEK?
The Schools Report brings you the SchoolsCompared.com official Weekly Briefing on the Hottest News in Education.
Every Friday we bring you the latest stories in education in the UAE and around the world in the last 7 days. Here’s what’s been happening this week…
This Week in Education. UAE Education News. First. Every Friday. Only from SchoolsCompared.com.
JESS voluntarily freezes secondary school fees, despite backdrop of fee rises in other leading Not For Profit schools
The week kicked off with the news that Jumeirah English Speaking School (JESS) will freeze its Secondary school and Sixth Form fees for the academic year 2022/2023, despite having the option to increase them. It will however be raising its Primary-school fees by 5%. This is to “address the disparity between primary and secondary fees”, according to a communication sent by JESS to parents
After several weeks of fee increases being announced by fellow Not For Profits Dubai College and Dubai English Speaking School/ College, JESS’s decision to voluntarily maintain the current fees for the senior school made for a refreshing change. Find out why Not For Profit schools are able to raise their fees despite the KHDA’s fee freeze, and all other details.
The secret’s out! Best new schools in Dubai. All new KHDA Ratings revealed in first round of school inspections since Covid
The KHDA has published its first school inspections for 2022-23 – and it has focused on new schools due for first inspection, many of which had been postponed as a result of Covid-19. All the schools ranked outstanding by SchoolsCompared, including many recipients of the Top Schools Awards, received Good School ratings – the highest grading ever achieved by a new school on its first inspection. Reading through these schools, it is hard not to imagine that, looking back, these years will be considered a Golden Age for education in the UAE. The sheer scale of outstanding new school launches during this period is beyond equal – and it is parents that have benefitted. Read all the newest Dubai school ratings and inspection results here.
Two Emirati pupils killed and three hurt in school-run crash
Two Emirati pupils died after the vehicle that was taking them to school was involved in a crash on Wednesday.
The boys, in grade four and six, were in a privately driven minibus on the way to Emirates National School in Rahmaniya, Sharjah, when the accident happened.
Three schoolmates in the same vehicle, in kindergarten, grade 1 and grade five, sustained injuries.
Monkeypox virus UAE: As cases rise, here’s the advice for parents
A further three new cases of Monkeypox have been reported in the UAE by the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention. This follows the first reported case on 24th May 2022 in a 29-year-old visitor from West Africa. The unprecedented and unexpected outbreaks of human monkeypox cases and clusters started on 7th May 2022 in the UK (from a traveller from Nigeria) and have now spread across Europe, the Americas, and Australia. Infections are now occurring within countries, rather than being imported.
Going Dutch: UAE pupils consider English-speaking universities in Europe
English-speaking universities in the Netherlands, Poland and Georgia are increasingly attracting students from the UAE, education consultants have revealed.
Interest in those three nations is on the rise, while falling in some of the traditional favourites chosen by school leavers – such as the UK, US and Canada – in the Emirates.
“If you’re looking for a competitive pricing, a lot of people are looking at countries like Georgia and Poland, which were virtually unheard of in the past,” said Sanjeev Verma, chief executive of Dubai-based Intelligent Partners, which helps students with university applications and visa arrangements.
Traditional markets include Canada, the US and the UK but high fees and competition have led to demand for more options.
Letter From the Editor: School fee increases ARE coming. Here’s what parents and schools can do to prepare NOW.
School fees in Dubai have been frozen for the third year in a row. As positive as this might seem for parents, the impact of frozen fees has been serious:
- Teachers have seen their salaries frozen, or in some cases reduced. They are struggling – and particularly now that inflationary pressures are creeping into the economy.
- School buildings and facilities need maintenance. If school fees do not rise, something has to give. Many schools have chosen to forego capital costs to try and protect teachers.
- Schools need to invest in new facilities and infrastructure. Many schools had no choice, for example, but to invest heavily in new digital and on-line technologies to meet the impacts of lockdown and need for on-line learning. But schools also have capital plans, that see them investing in new sports and performing arts facilities for example, these designed to improve the education of their students. Many plan to offer new qualifications and subject pathways to better meet the needs of their students. When these are cancelled or frozen, it is students that suffer.
- Even in weaker schools, higher fees means more resources to put things right.
It is hard to see how school fees, in either the for-profit, or not-for-profit sectors can remain frozen for a fourth year without something having to give.
The take-away from this is that parents in for-profit schools, at a time when inflation is beginning to take its toll and the outlook looks worrying, should count themselves lucky that they have a year to prepare for the fee increases that are almost certainly coming. Those in many not-for-profits will not have that luxury. It is time to prepare. Read more.
Children at British Schools in the UAE celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee
A boy at Dove Green Primary School Celebrate the UK Queen’s Platinum Jubilee
Children at British schools across the UAE have been donning crowns, partaking in tea parties and turning red, white and blue to celebrate the UK Queen’s Platinum Jubilee today, with further plans in the pipeline for tomorrow and Monday too.
The United Kingdom has been a longtime friend of the UAE, and both countries share a flourishing and mutually beneficial relationship that kicked off with the British Queen Elizabeth II’s first state visit to the UAE back in 1979.
The Queen has ruled for longer than any other Monarch in British history, and her remarkable reign has seen her travel more widely than any other monarch, undertaking many historic overseas visits – including a second state visit to the UAE in 2010.
Of the 215 private schools in Dubai, the majority (35%) teach the British Curriculum, according to KHDA statistics. Children of all nationalities study this well-respected curriculum, and over the next few days they are joining together to acknowledge Elizabeth II’s incredible 70 years as the United Kingdom’s Queen and enjoy bit of quintessentially British fun.
Here is a selection of some of our favourite photos of UAE schools’ Jubilee celebrations…
Affordable Indian Schools in Dubai 2022: Best Indian Schools ranked by KHDA rating and lowest school fees
Which are the most affordable Indian schools in Dubai? The first KHDA School Fees Factsheets, which for the first time reveal the true cost of an education in Dubai, have now been published.
Previously the only fees listed on most school websites was the top-line tuition fees – but this often only constitutes a fraction of what parents will be charged for during the year, when other ‘hidden’ costs are taken into account.
But now every parent can discover right from the offset the full amount that they might need to pay throughout the academic year, including all possible charges – from transportation, uniforms and books, to school trips and extra curricular activities.
The first phase of School Fees KHDA Factsheets for schools starting their academic year in April have now been published. Encompassing mostly Indian-curriculum schools, this means that parents of more than 81,000 students across 35 schools in Dubai now have access to a fully transparent, comprehensive breakdown of everything they could be expected to pay for in the year ahead.
See our table of the cheapest Indian schools in Dubai, ranked by lowest fees and KHDA rating here.
UAE: New visa announcements lead to uptick in student enrolments
UAE schools and universities have observed an uptick in new student enrolments for the upcoming academic year after the new visa announcements, heralding the country as an educational hub.
Educationists say that the new visas add to the Emirates’ appeal and have injected the much-needed confidence among people to consider Dubai an ideal place to live and work in.
The UAE Cabinet in April 2022 have announced the largest set of reforms and updates to its entry and residency schemes. The new system covers entry visas, new residency options and an expanded Golden Visas (long-term residency) scheme.
Additionally, new visa rules now allow parents to sponsor their sons till they are 25 as opposed to the previous age limit of 18. This effectively means male children can continue living in the UAE even after they finish school and university.
Dyllan Hancott, Chief Advancement Officer, Canadian University Dubai (CUD), opined, “We are experiencing a period of exciting growth and development as an institution. In part, we believe that the new visa rules have helped bring awareness to the ease and benefits of an education in the UAE. The new visa rules have made high-quality local education available to a global audience.”
Sharjah reveals plans to build four new ‘Future Schools’ focused on outdoor learning and mindfulness
The Sharjah Private Education Authority (SPEA) has announced it has partnered with Arada, Sharjah’s largest housing developer, to collaborate on designing a series of future schools in the emirate.
Their aim is to build world-class schools that reach the highest contemporary and sustainable design standards. The Arada architectural teams say they are planning to “incorporate experiential and expansive spaces that are served by both natural and artificial light within each future school, to enhance mindfulness and support the acquisition of knowledge”.
There will also be a focus on nature, unstructured play spaces, and creating something of a forest school environment:
“Outdoor learning spaces will serve as extensions of the classroom, providing pupils with the opportunity to observe and interact with nature. Open areas in circulatory spaces as well as the provision of large, multi-purpose open areas will encourage exploration and flexible play as children interact among various age groups at school and broaden their social skills.”
UK Visa scheme for graduates from top 50 global universities is launched
Graduates from the world’s top 50 non-UK universities can apply to come to Britain through a new visa scheme.
Ministers hope the “high potential individual” route, which launches on Monday, will attract the “brightest and best” at the beginning of their careers to work in the UK.
Successful applicants with a bachelor’s or master’s degree will be given a two-year work visa, while PhD-holders can apply for a three-year visa.
Government guidance states that beneficiaries can then “switch to other long-term employment visas, if you meet the eligibility requirements”.
The route is open to graduates from the top 50 non-UK universities, who hold a degree, equivalent to a UK bachelor’s or postgraduate degree, awarded no more than five years before the date of application.
Eligible universities must appear in the top 50 rankings of at least two of the following: Times Higher Education world university rankings, Quacquarelli Symonds world university rankings, or the Academic Ranking of World Universities.
The most recent list of eligible universities from 2021, published online by the UK government, comprises 20 US institutions, plus universities from Canada, Japan, Germany, Australia, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, France, Sweden and Switzerland.
Read more.
School run travel times slashed by 50% for thousands of students with new Dubai-Al Ain road extension
The Dh2 billion Dubai-Al Ain Road Improvement Project that was opened on Sunday will slash travel time on the road by 50 per cent.
According to the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), travel time on the Dubai-Al Ain Road from the intersection of Ras Al Khor Road to the that of Emirates Road will go down from 16 minutes to eight during peak times. Additionally, it will solve traffic snarls that used to extend for about two kilometres.
The road has been widened from three to six lanes in each direction, and the project includes six main interchanges and bridges and ramps stretching 11.5km. The improvements will double the intake of the road from 12,000 to 24,000 vehicles per hour in both directions.
It will benefit a population of 1.5 million living or working in the neighbourhood on both sides of the road. It also serves 25 universities and colleges, where over 27,500 students are enrolled.
Watch the video.
15 Things you don’t realise about Dubai’s imminent single-use plastic ban – and should schools benefit?
On Wednesday 1 June, Abu Dhabi became the first city in the Middle East to ban single-use plastic bags. This environmentally motivated ruling has been hailed as a historic move, and means that families doing their weekly shop in the capital will no longer have their groceries packed to take away in regular plastic shopping bags, as had been the norm until now. Instead they can pay for thicker plastic bags (from 50 fils upwards), which are recyclable and can be reused up to 10 times or more, or other alternative bags made from paper, cotton or jute.
On 1 July 2022 Dubai will also be introducing restrictions on the use of single-use plastic bags, but will start by charging a fee for disposable bags, before committing to a full ban in two years’ time.
However, Dubai arguably goes further in its green scheme in a number of ways that UAE families might not yet have realised.
Here’s what UAE families need to know about Dubai’s imminent plastic bag rules…
Tabitha Barda’s The School Report © SchoolsCompared.com. 2022. All rights reserved.
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