Value in education

Do high school costs reflect high quality education? Perhaps and perhaps not

Since education has become more like a business, higher prices are now associated with a better quality of education in the minds of too many parents. Jeff Topping / The National

The UAE education sector is developing at a rapid pace. In Dubai, 10 schools will open this year, among them the North London Collegiate School, which promises to offer pupils a clear path to the world's top universities, such as Cambridge, Oxford and Harvard.

But enrolling in such a school comes with a hefty price tag. The school will charge record fees, with final-year places costing up to Dh130,000 a year. Many of those who can afford would readily pay, but a large number of parents already struggle to keep up with rising school fees.

Since education has become more like a business, higher prices are now associated with a better quality of education in the minds of too many parents. That may or not be true. But, in any case, getting into a highly selective university doesn’t only require being academically qualified, but also being talented, well-rounded and outstanding in other aspects of life. Those are not things that can easily be purchased.