Dubai South Sets 30,000 AED School Fee Limit

Dubai South, the city within a city being built in Dubai, has set up affordability for its residence as one of its defining goals, and in a significant break with many master developers in the emirate, is looking to control the fees at its future schools, as set tariffs at its hospitals.

“We have suggested that tuition fees for those schools operating within Dubai South should not be higher than Dh30,000 a year,” Mohammad Al Awadhi, Vice-President for Real Estate said according to a report in UAE daily Gulf News.

“We are absolutely strict in our requirement that Dubai South will remain a place where affordability will remain a constant factor. That’s why we want to be directly responsible in controlling that affordability, be it in the cost of land, property and even what people should pay for schools and health care.”

One way that the master-developer is helping schools and hospitals to manage their cost expectations is by leasing the land rather than have them buy it outright. Stripped off the land acquisition costs, income generated on schools and hospitals can then be better managed.

“By leasing land, we keep the costs down for the operators — “We have finalised the schools and in negotiations for the hospitals with some key operators.”

According to the report GEMS is to operate a campus of a million square feet of land, able to accommodate up to 6,000 students.

Dubai South is on of the emirate's strategic initiatives. It is projected to sustain a population of a million, support "every conceivable kind of business and industry" and create 500,000 jobs.

It is home to the Al Maktoum International Airport and will be the host of World Expo 2020 and the Dubai Airshow.