GCC's growing education sector drives focus on quality
October 4, 2017, 5:30 am GMTThe massive growth of private and international schools in the Middle East has led to an increasing focus on quality, delegates at IPSEF Middle East heard yesterday.
ISC Research head of Middle East research Nalini Cook shared the latest data on the global international school market.
The UAE is the top country in the region in terms of number of schools by country, followed by Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Kuwait.
The UAE also tops the region in terms of student enrolment, with over half a million students registered in various premium, English-language international schools.
"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 US$10.62 across the territory," said Cook.
Average annual school fees in international schools in the region hover around US$8,000. In the UAE, the average school fees per year, is US$7,747 while in Saudi Arabia parents have to pay a little bit less at US$6,325.
Fees are higher in Kuwait where average annual fees in international schools is US$8,069 and go further north in other GCC countries, where fees stand at an annual average of US$9,235.
Structural reforms are also underway in the GCC's education sector due to the changing market demand and outcomes.
PwC director - education Roland Hancock noted five key changes that are happening in the sector. These include: "Consolidation of key ministries aimed at delivering linked up services and a division of accountability between provision and regulation; and putting a renewed focus on early education in recognition of the importance of this segment on future student outcomes."
According to Hancock, the GCC is also embracing increasing private sector participation including potential public-private partnerships as a way to deliver higher academic standards that are increasingly being demanded throughout the region, especially in the UAE where parents, according to a recent Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) Survey of Principals, are as demanding of higher academic standards as parents in the US.
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