The UAE has the highest number of English-medium international schools (511) in the world, according to the latest data on the growth of the international schools market by International Schools Consultancy Research.
According to the Knowledge and Human Development Authority’s (KHDA) annual Private Education Landscape report, Dubai houses 173 schools with seven new ones opening in the 2015-16 academic year.
The report said 298,341 seats were available at private schools with 89 per cent already occupied. Considering the city’s growing needs, Dr Abdullah Al Karam, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director-General of KHDA, says that 15-20 new private schools are expected to open during the 2016-17 academic year.
Curriculum
Private schools in the UAE offer a range of curriculum options including Indian, British, American, Arabic, Australian, French, German, Russian, Pakistani, Iranian, Japanese, Canadian and Filipino.
The academic year for Indian, Pakistani and Japanese curriculum schools starts from April, while all other curricula commence in September. An inspection rating is given to schools by the authority board of the emirate the school is located in.
Norms
A child must be four years of age to attend KG1 and if applying for Grade 1 and above, parents must provide evidence of the child’s previous schooling.
Schools open registration for admissions a year before the academic year you are applying for, and a few schools even start two years earlier.
For instance, in September/October 2015, enrolments opened for the 2016-17 at schools in the UAE.
A parent can find the registration details — dates, forms, etc. — on the school’s website.
Migration
If a child is migrating to the UAE, school transfer certificates require attestation.
“Schools will need the student’s previous reports and a transfer certificate confirming the grade/year level completed and exit date from the previous school,” explains Dawn Rennie, Director of Development and Admissions at Dubai British School Jumeirah Park.
“However, the latter needs to be attested by the Ministry of Education, Department of Foreign Affairs and the UAE Embassy in the country where the certificate was issued.
Attestations are not required if the applicant is coming from schools in the US, Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
“If students are moving in from another emirate, schools require a transfer certificate with a school stamp and an attestation by the Ministry of Education of the emirate the student is moving from.”
Procedure
Payment terms at UAE schools vary based on curriculum and facilities provided. Parents are advised to visit the selected school’s website for information on fee structure before applying.
“Registrations can be done either through an online process or through admission forms available in the institution,” says Vandana Marwaha, Principal at Delhi Private School Sharjah.
“Information regarding admissions is available on school websites and/or advertisements. Once the registration process (online and physical) is complete, parents are informed about the date of the interactive session (KG 1)/entrance test (KG 2 to Grade 9) for their ward.
"Once the interactive session/test is cleared, the admission is confirmed.”
Students at Our Own High School, one of 173 private schools in Dubai
Image Credit: Gulf News Archives
