Schools need help to raise standards

There are many ways to help ailing institutions to survive and thrive

Schools will not be able to improve their standards if they are not able to spend money on teachers and other resources. Nicole Hill / The National

Schools fees – just like food and housing – rise with the cost of living. Despite this inevitability, here and elsewhere in the world, every fee increase fuels fresh concerns. As The National reported yesterday, many parents are worried that they might have to leave the country after the Abu Dhabi Education Council allowed 51 private schools out of 186 to raise their fees for the academic year starting next month. The average rise is 6 per cent.

Many people are battling the rising costs of living amid low wage increases and uncertainty in the job market. Those who are seeking private education for their children have found it difficult to find a school that offers a high standard at an affordable price.

But that should not be an impediment for low-fee and low-performing schools to raise fees. Susan Kippels, of the Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation for Policy Research, notes that “if schools are experiencing greater costs, it’s not surprising that their increasing costs are being passed on to families in the form of higher tuition”.

We have argued before that schools will not be able to improve their standards if they are not able to spend money on teachers and other resources. But there is no justification to expect the Government to financially support these ailing institutions that cater for pupils who will, mostly, leave the UAE when their expatriate parents move on.

There are, however, steps that could be taken to address this situation. For example, schools that run a particular national curriculum could be subsidised by the government of that country, which will ultimately benefit from the expertise of returning graduates. It would be a worthwhile investment in the future.

Local communities could also support schools that follow the curriculums of their respective countries. And expatriates who have done well in their lives here could offer financial aid to help schools to pay for maintenance, teachers’ salaries and other needs. They could also offer scholarships to the brightest students.

Schools must be encouraged to raise their standards, and that will inevitably mean raising their fees. Communities can play a role in helping make those rises sustainable.