The ‘School Fees Fact Sheet’ will detail tuition fees as well as add-on fees that parents could pay during an academic year, such as school transportation, school trips and extra-curricular activities. It will also include fees that are compulsory but additional to tuition fees, such as IT equipment and books. While some schools cover these costs within tuition fees, others may not, previously allowing for inaccuracies for parents seeking financial comparisons.
The resource will also provide details of discounts and scholarships given by each school, which must be approved by the KHDA. With many newer schools offering such discounts on their KHDA approved fees, there has been room for confusion for parents, who may later find themselves with significantly higher fees to pay than they had initially anticipated.
This move from the KHDA aims to eliminate the possibility of unwelcome surprises in fees due, ensuring parents are in a position to accurately assess the affordability of their choice of schools in line with family income, and confidently compare school costs when selecting a school for their children.
Dr. Abdulla Al Karam, director-general of the KHDA, said:
“Dubai is committed to supporting an environment that enables parents, students and schools to engage with each other and make choices based on clear information.”
"Through the School Fees Fact Sheet, parents can understand a school’s complete fee structure at a glance. This will help them make better decisions about their children’s schooling. When there’s transparency on fees, both parents and schools can better focus on children’s growth. We’re grateful to private schools in Dubai for their support in making the fact sheets accessible to their parent communities.”
The School Fees Fact Sheets will initially be implemented only by schools starting their academic year in April (accounting for parents of more than 81,000 students across 35 schools) with schools starting their academic year in September to follow. This will ensure that all Dubai private schools are included in the initiative before the close of the current academic year.