Relief: 20,700 New Places By September Says KHDA

Eight new schools will open in Dubai during the coming year, according to The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA).  The combined total of new places available will be 20,700 which brings much needed relief for worried parents across the emirate.

The majority of the schools will offer the British curriculum - five in total. Around one third of Dubai's school pupils currently follow the British curriculum.  Two of the new schools will offer the Indian curriculum and one will offer the Canadian curriculum.

The KHDA did not reveal the names of the schools but among the known launches are Nord Anglia, Safa and a GEMS school in Dubailand - all UK curriculum. GEMS is also set to open another  British curriculum school in the Motor City area.  King's will open its expanded campus on Al Khail in September while two Indian schools, Credence and Bilva are set to open in Al Quoz and Al Qusais respectively.  It's believed that the Candian curriculum school will be based in Mirdiff though this has yet to be confirmed.

The KHDA confirmed that a further six schools are scheduled to open in September 2015 but gave no further details on these.  By 2020 - the date for Dubai's Expo - there will, they said, be 100 more new or expanded schools in Dubai. This will bring the current school population in Dubai from 225,000 to 360,000 pupils.

Of the six schools scheduled to open for admissions in September 2015 three will offer British curriculum, two American and one Canadian.