Dubai Education Quality Surges: 81% of Students Attend Private Schools Rated 'Good' or Above

Dubai's education quality improves as 81% of students now attend private schools rated Good or higher, up from 77% last year.

KHDA's latest inspection covers 209 schools with over 360,000 students, including 10 newly inspected schools, benefiting nearly 49,500 students.

A total of 23 schools were rated Outstanding, 48 were rated Very Good, 85 Good and 51 Acceptable, while two were rated Weak with no schools rated as Very Weak. Overall ratings improved for 26 schools while three schools saw a decline in their ratings.

Commenting on the results, Aisha Abdulla Miran, Director General of KHDA, said,

“The continuous improvement by the schools indicates their commitment to offer high quality educational opportunities for students. Our schools are among the world’s highest performing, according to international assessments, ranking sixth for literacy in PIRLS, top 10 globally for maths, and top 14 for science and reading in PISA assessments. These results reaffirm Dubai’s competitiveness as a world-class destination for education, in line with the leadership’s vision set out in the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 and Dubai Social Agenda 33.”

She added,

“We are grateful to the school community, principals, teachers, and parents for their efforts in enriching the learning experiences for students and contributing towards making Dubai one of the top 10 cities in the world for quality education. We look forward to increasing the number of students who are receiving good or better education and providing more distinguished education opportunities to Emirati students.”

Improvement across quality indicators

This year, 90 percent of schools improved in one or more quality indicators. Of these improvements, 67 percent are related to student outcomes, 26 percent to schools’ provisions for learners, and 7 percent to leadership.

Schools in Dubai showed improved student progress in Arabic and Islamic education. 64% were rated Good or higher in Arabic (up from 52%), and 77% in Islamic education (up from 68%). Private schools reduced barriers to learning, with 76% offering Good or higher provisions for students of determination. Wellbeing programs in 83% of schools were rated Good or higher.

Fatma Belrehif, CEO of Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau (DSIB), said,

“Private schools continue to achieve significant improvements in the quality of their overall performance, which reflects the commitment of school leaders and teachers to ensure that high-quality educational opportunities are available to our students.”

She added,

“We are proud of the efforts of the education community in Dubai to enhance the quality of education and its global competitiveness. We encourage parents to read the reports and gain insights about the quality of education in their children’s schools. We are committed to work with our education community to raise the quality of education in Dubai and align with the future goals of Dubai.”

Inspections during 2024-25 academic year

Private schools in Dubai will not be subjected to full inspections during the 2024-25 academic year, with the exception of new schools that will complete their third year of operation during the next academic year.

The decision supports student learning, allowing schools to make changes aligned with improvement plans. DSIB will monitor progress through targeted visits. Schools can request full inspections, subject to KHDA approval.

Full inspection reports and individual parent summary reports for the 2023-24 academic year are available on the KHDA website and mobile app.

News Source: Emirates News Agency