Dubai: School fees in the Middle East make up as much as Dh39 billion in revenue alone, and according to the latest research, the numbers will continue to rise.
ISC Research revealed their most recent findings after studying English-medium international schools in Western Asia.
Nalini Cook, head of Middle East Research at ISC Research, said they found that the UAE leads the region in the number of international schools with 601, followed by Saudi Arabia at 244, Qatar at 165, Turkey at 114 and Kuwait with 87 international schools.
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Highest school fees
The findings also indicated that the average annual school fees in international schools in the region is around Dh29,000 (US$8,000).
“Despite school fees being some of the highest in the world, the rise of international schools in the region will continue as revenues reached over $10.62 billion across the territory,” said Cook.
Parents in Qatar had to shell out the most money in the region for school fees, which cost an annual average of Dh33,920 ($9,235). Kuwait was ranked in second place with an average annual fee for international schools of Dh29,637 ($8,069), followed by the UAE with Dh28,454 ($7,747), and Saudi Arabia, who have to pay a bit less at Dh23,231 ($6,325).
“The dynamics of the private and international schools market in the GCC is becoming more complex, with many crucial factors coming into play – from regulatory frameworks to quality standards, as well as teacher recruitment and student assessment,” said Rhona Greenhill, co-founder, IPSEF.
