Dubai: Enrolment across private schools up 3.9% since September 2020 – KHDA

Student enrolment at Dubai’s private schools has increased by 10,000, translating into a 3.9 per cent gain since September 2020, the emirate’s education regulator Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) has announced.

For the first time since schools re-opened in September, more students – 52 per cent – are engaging in face-to-face learning than in distance learning, according to KHDA’s latest data report on private education in the emirate.

Dubai hosts a total of 210 schools, educating 289,9991 students, of whom 33,656 are Emirati. KHDA also said that as many as 97 per cent of eligible school staff have had at least one Covid-19 vaccination, while 86 per cent are fully vaccinated. Additionally, 10 new schools will open in the 2021/22 academic year, Dubai Media Office reported.

“Parents have always had the choice of distance or face-to-face learning for their children. It’s great to see that parents have placed their confidence and trust in schools and that the government’s safety protocols continue to be rigorously implemented. It’s also great that students are able to spend time with their friends and teachers in person every day,” said Dr. Abdulla Al Karam, director general of KHDA.

The Knowledge and Human Development Authority’s (@KHDA) reveals that student enrolment at #Dubai’s private schools has increased by 10,000, a rise of 3.9% since September 2020, according to its latest data report on private education in Dubai. https://t.co/gmOwTeAF0h pic.twitter.com/TR97ANIvsO

— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) June 27, 2021

As of June 2021, there were more than 10,000 children attending 169 private early childhood centres in Dubai, also referred to as nurseries or early learning centres. Eight additional early childhood centres are expected to open by the end of 2021, the report added. Meanwhile, 92 per cent of teachers at early childhood centres hold teaching qualifications.

Dr. Al Karam added: “The first five years of our lives form the foundation for the kind of adults we will become. High-quality early childhood education and care is crucial to creating a happy and healthy population, as well as a dynamic and future-focused Dubai. By gathering and sharing data on this sector, we hope to give it greater visibility and encourage even more growth. We’re grateful to all the centres we’ve worked with so far, and we look forward to deepening our relationship with them for the benefit of our youngest children and their families in Dubai.”

There are 1,167 training institutes with 70,504 courses approved by KHDA, of which 61 per cent focus on professional and management training.