About 68 private schools in Dubai have asked for a hike in tuition fees, ranging from four to 180 per cent, for the new academic year, it was learnt yesterday.

Most of these schools are offering British and American curricula while others are following Indian and Pakistani syllabi.

A report issued by the Dubai Education Council (DEC) says of the 73 per cent of private schools that responded to a study conducted by the council recently, 51 per cent (68) private schools have requested for fee increases.

The DEC is currently studying the possibility of a hike and will inform the schools about its decision on the approved fee structure by the end of March, a DEC statement released yesterday said.

For the first time, the DEC has asked schools to adhere to an evidence-based strategy on determining fee increases that are in accordance with the overall aim to improve quality. The criteria being studied by the DEC for this strategy include level of investment in teacher development, international accreditation and certification and parent involvement.

According to the DEC study, schools were asked to provide information on their plans to improve quality across the board and provide evidence of the impact of these measures on their education outcomes in line with the Dubai Strategic Plan 2007-2015.

Commenting on the request made by private schools for fee increases, an official of the Global Education Management System (GEMS), managing 22 schools in the UAE, said, “We understand that a very large proportion of private schools have made applications for fee increases to the Dubai Educational Council. This demonstrates the serious economic challenges that face the private sector schools, particularly those that have served the community for several years.”

“We at GEMS remain committed to improving the standard and quality of education in the UAE, and are optimistic that the DEC will take into account the realities of our situation,” she added.

She noted around 11 of the total 22 GEMS managed schools in the country have applied for a fee hike this year.