Simon Snelder, a financial adviser with Capstone Insurance said the increase in fees was “unjustified”.
Partly in a reaction to the introduction of VAT, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, crown prince of Dubai and chairman of the Dubai Executive Council announced a freeze on school fees for 2018/19 on Wednesday evening.
School fees have increased by 40% on average in recent years. In 2012/13, annual fees were AED24,541 ($6,600 £4,900 €5,640), on average, and now they are AED34,552.
Snelder observes that this increase still left the UAE ranked 48 out of 76 countries globally for school education, according to the OECD. This placed them just above Uruguay and below Romania, which both offer state funded school places.
“It’s no coincidence that Dubai ordered a freeze on private school fees for 2018/2019,” said Snelder
“Private schools, which are almost all schools in Dubai, need to start putting education as priority number one, instead of maximising their profits.
“When UAE parents pay the second highest school fees in the world, schools should deliver them a world class education.
“Some parents are taking on debt, otherwise they can’t afford the school fees. It’s a big frustration for UAE residents,” he said.
