mSchools (Connecting Parents & Schools): Things You May Not Know About Education In Dubai

Monday 14 April 2014

Things You May Not Know About Education In Dubai

By Katie Lepi

Dubai is a pretty interesting place. We were there recently for this year’s GESF, and one of the striking things about the city is the diversity of its residents. The education system there pretty much mimics that – there are a ton of schools offering different programs, and from a US perspective – where much of the education offerings are public or not-for-profit private the private systems there are really interesting.

The handy infographic below takes a look at the growth and diversity in Dubai’s private education sector. Take a look at it and compare it to the education system you currently work in/have kids in/participated in as a student. Weigh in by leaving a comment below, mentioning @Edudemic on Twitter or leaving your thoughts on our Facebook page.

Education in Dubai

The growth rate of private schools in Dubai is nearly 10%
10 new schools have opened since the 2012/13 school year
23K seats have been added to meet increasing demand for education
The majority of these student are primary students
Fees range from 1,725 to 98,000 AED (USD exchange rate, UK exchange rate, Euro exchange rate)
About 42% of students pay less than 10,000 dirhams per year
There is about 4.7 Billion AED in total possible revenue per year available
In higher ed, the majority of students are seeking a bachelor’s degree (71%)
Only 18% are pursuing a Master’s degree
Only 1% are pursing a Doctorate level degree
There are currently 158 private schools in Dubai
58% of these students are enrolled in UK-based curriculum programs
31% are enrolled in US based curriculum programs
29% are enrolled in Indian based curriculum programs
There are 57 higher education institutions
41 % of these are locally based, 39% are international based
26 International universities have outposts in Dubai
Business is the most popular program of study for these universities – 44% of students are enrolled in business programs