By Joseph George
The surge in new schools is driving a heightened demand for teachers across the region, with Dubai continuing to lead as top destination for international teachers
The demand for Cambridge curriculum continues to rise in the GCC even as new schools continue to open, with UAE and Saudi being the main drivers for growth.
According to ISC Research, Cambridge curricula has seen the largest growth (95%) in the Middle East in terms of the number of schools offering it.
According to the research firm, the number of international K-12 schools in the region is expected to register a growth of 11% during the next five years. There are 2,222 international K-12 schools across the Middle East (as of July 2024). “Since July 2023, 33 new schools have opened in the region and we are currently aware of 66 schools planning to open in the future,” says Sami Yosef, Head of Global Research at ISC Research, a provider of English medium international K-12 education data and analysis.
The total revenue collected as fee from more than two million students attending international K-12 schools in the region currently stands at $15 billion per year. The UAE has been the main driver for growth in the GCC followed by Saudi Arabia.
A recent report by Alpen Capital forecasts the number of schools in the UAE to increase from around 1,258 in 2022 to 1,308 by 2027.
According to Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), the private education sector in the emirate currently comprises 220 schools, 274 early childhood centres and 38 higher education institutions. All three sectors saw record growth in enrolment during the 2023-24 academic year.
Poonam Bhojani, CEO of Innoventures Education, which runs several schools across the UAE says one of the socio-economic trends that will shape K-12 education sector, including recruitment, is that more people are moving to the UAE.
According to her, the numbers have been increasing. “We have had a significant surge in student enrolment across our schools and early childhood centres for this academic year as compared to the same period last year,” says Bhojani, adding that the upward trajectory in enrolment is expected to keep increasing.
