New Report: 'Dubai Needs 77,000 New School Places By 2020'

According to Gulf Business, Dubai will need 51 new schools, equating to 77,000 new school places by 2020.

Quoting the Colliers report, the publication notes that Dubai's population will reach 3.5 million by the year 2020. For the education sector to keep up with demand, a total of $2 billion dollars investment will be required over the next six years.

Mansoor Ahmed, director of Healthcare, Education and PPP at Colliers International said, “in the last decade, the private education sector has witnessed significant growth; doubling enrolment figures and introducing additional supply, which increased the competitive edge within the market."

He went on to note, “Three factors have come together in Dubai to make it very attractive to educational investment; firstly a population growth rate of 6.7 per cent, secondly the rising income levels and tax free status and finally the introduction of property ownership for expatriates which in turn commits people to stay longer in Dubai than previously.”

However, the report was not all good news for the education sector, stating that recruitment and teacher development still had significant scope for improvement.

Monsoor Ahmed said, “with the rapid growth operators desperate to recruit appropriate specialised staff have engaged in a cycle of recruiting from local competitors, this has been driving up salaries often beyond the concurrent increases the schools can charge in fees as the fee increases are capped by KHDA."

According to Ian Hunt of Gabbitas, the UAE is currently the third most attractive overseas destination for UK based teachers. However, it should be noted schools still need to compete internationally for top tier teachers.

Competitive salaries, good conditions and continued teacher development are still essential for schools hoping to attract top talent.

Traditionally, Continuing Professional Development (CPD) has been overlooked, with many British curriculum schools accepting either 'back-packer' teachers who move on after a few years service or accompanying wives, often on local contracts or on visit visas.