There are currently 195 private academic
institutions in Dubai
offering curricula from a wide variety of
countries, and choosing just one for your child can be a fairly daunting task.
Most parents don’t realise how much legal
work needs to be completed and how tense the deadlines can be during the school
selection process in Dubai. They usually hold off on making a decision right
until the final few days when it’s already too late to salvage the child’s
application.
If you want to ensure your child gets the
best education Dubai has to offer, you need to start the process long before
applications even open.
There will be complicated legal documents you’ll
need to arrange, extensive waiting lists to work your way around, and financial
details you’ll need to sort out to out to give your child’s application the
best possible chance for success.
All of this, of course, comes after you’ve
shortlisted a few institutions for further inspection, which is an incredibly
difficult task in itself.
In this article, we’re going to talk about
the key factors you’ll need to keep in mind when choosing a school in Dubai. If
you’ve already started the process, do let us know if this guide helped down in
the comments.
Currently, there are 15 different curricula being taught in the
private schools in Dubai:
- British
- Indian
- American
- Canadian
- Pakistani
- German
- French
- Japanese
- Philippine
- Chinese
- Iranian
- Russian
- SABIS
- IAT
- International Baccalaureate
(IB)
Amongst all of these choices, the British
curriculum is easily the most popular, the well-represented, and the well-acclaimed.
British
schools in Dubai
account for over 40% of the 195+
academic institutions and have the highest number of schools rated
‘outstanding’ (10 out of the 16 total) by the Dubai KHDA (Knowledge and Human
Development Authority).
Aside from the British curriculum schools, American
and Indian institutions are also popular choices amongst parents.
Before you make your decision, make sure
you research each option thoroughly on the internet. Your choice of curriculum
now will go on to affect the standard of education your child receives, and the
international appeal of the qualifications they receive in the future.
Another important reason to give this
process due time and consideration is that your child might not get the chance
to switch curriculums when they’re older, even though the government has
recently introduced policies making it easier to move to a different school.
Private institutions in Dubai cater to families
from all kinds of financial backgrounds, with tuition fees starting at around
AED 2,000 per year in the under-resourced, lesser-known schools and going all
the way up to AED 100,000 at the more posh institutions.
Here, it’s important to remember that a
higher annual fee doesn’t necessarily translate to a better quality of
education. You’ll find plenty of institutions around the Dubai average of 20,000
Dirhams a year that have an exceptional teaching staff and excellent yearly
results.
A lot of good American and British schools in Dubai
also offer special
sibling discounts, where the second child can get enrolled in the same campus
for around 80% of the original costs. This discount applies to all siblings after
the first.
During your school tours, make sure you sit
down with the administrative staff and take the time to understand the school’s
detailed fee structure. Also ask if they’ve included the price of the uniform,
books, canteen, etc. in the total costs.
A lot of new parents tend to forget that
schools aren’t just places of academic growth. This is where your child will
spend the majority of his/her life during the development stage, and good
institutions always prioritise a student’s mental, social, and physical growth
over simply teaching them subjects.
Make sure you visit each of the schools you
shortlisted earlier during your research and ask them if you can tour the
campus to see all of the facilities they have. If an institution ever declines
your request, simply walk away. They’re not worth your time or consideration.
During your tour, pay close attention to how
the principal or your designated guide talks about the facilities. This will
give you a pretty good idea of where the school’s priorities lie.
If possible, also ask to visit one of the
classrooms while a class is already in session. You’ll know in your gut if this
is the place you want your child growing up or not. Trust that feeling, and
make a smart decision!
