Education authorities in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah are conducting inspections of private schools in order to assess their performance and provide parents with information about the school’s strengths and weaknesses.
The results of these inspections are expected to be announced later this year. Specifically, Dubai plans to announce the results before the end of the academic year in August, while Sharjah will release them in March. However, Abu Dhabi has not yet announced when it will make the results public.
The inspections are aimed at ensuring that the schools are providing high-quality education and giving parents a clear understanding of what each school has to offer.
The schools will be evaluated and rated in categories such as outstanding, very good, good, acceptable, and unacceptable.
Schools that receive the highest ratings will be eligible for fee increases.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, inspections in Dubai and Abu Dhabi had been conducted remotely, with inspectors assessing schools using online means.
Dubai
The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) in Dubai is currently conducting inspections of private schools in the emirate.
These inspections, which are carried out annually, began in 2008.
During the first phase of inspections between October and December of that year, sixty-nine out of more than 200 schools were evaluated.
The last year of in-person assessment was 2019, during which 176 schools were inspected, including 11 that were being evaluated for the first time.
In 2019, 17 schools were rated as outstanding, including Kings’ School Dubai, Gems Wellington, Gems Jumeirah College, and Dubai College.
Another 28 schools were rated as very good, 74 were ranked as good, and 52 were rated as acceptable.
Only five schools were rated as weak.
The Dubai government has frozen private tuition fees for the past three years, and any increases in tuition fees are based on the Education Cost Index (ECI), which is announced annually by regulators and takes into account changes in school running costs such as salaries, rents, and utilities.
The ECI and fee framework were developed in collaboration with government departments such as the Dubai Statistics Centre (DSC), the Department of Economic Development (DED), and the Dubai Chamber of Commerce (DCC).
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) is currently conducting inspections of private schools in the emirate.
The evaluation indicators consist of several categories such as pupils’ achievement, personal and social development, innovation skills, teaching and assessment, and leadership and management.
Among the top-ranked private schools in the emirate, nine of them have been recognized as some of the world’s best. Aldar Academies’ Al Yasmina and The Pearl were the only schools to be added to the outstanding list after the 2019-2020 inspection cycle.
Abu Dhabi is home to 23 schools very good schools, 68 good-ranked schools, and one weak-rated school.
Schools in the emirate are inspected every two years, and the average increase in fees is about 3 percent, which must be approved by ADEK.
Sharjah
The Sharjah Private Education Authority (SPEA) started the first phase of its inspection program in October 2022, in which 36 private schools were evaluated.
Chairman SPEA, Dr. Muhadditha Al Hashimi, confirmed that the second phase of the inspections will conclude in March and 74 schools will be assessed.
The evaluations will focus on the schools’ performance in various categories such as pupils’ achievements, well-being and protection, teaching assessments, curriculum, and leadership.
SPEA’s Inspectors will spend four days in each school as part of the process.
The private schools in Sharjah will receive detailed reports outlining their strengths and weaknesses.
If a school fails to improve, it may face administrative penalties such as not being able to increase fees or being prohibited from implementing expansion plans until its performance and ranking improve.
The assessment will happen once every two years for schools that are rated as good, and once every four years for schools that are rated as excellent or very good.
