Article:
ISSUE No.4 Mai - June 2007

Private Schools in the UAE
Expensive Education without International Qualification?

As a transit country, the United Arab Emirates host a large number of international workers and their families. Parents who decide to spend any lengthy amount of time in the UAE with children of school age are often faced with the problem of choosing the right establishment from the wide selection of educational institutions. Besides the familiar German school system, children can also attend international institutions. The potential is great – however, the price and quality of the teaching should be subject to careful scrutiny.

The child’s age, ability and knowledge of foreign languages is crucial in the choice of school. The length of the family’s stay in the UAE should also be taken into consideration as it is decisive in the children’s later school integration in Germany. Parents can find out about the recognition of qualifications offered in the UAE beforehand. The qualification validation office of the German Ministry of Culture can provide information on this.
The school duration should also be considered. Some international schools in the UAE only offer schooling up to year eleven. The pending change of school can prove complicated and depends upon the child’s linguistic abilities as the international qualifications are primarily offered at English-speaking schools. If the parents decide on a change of school, they have to get the attestations, birth certificate and often health certificate translated and authenticated. The individual schools should provide more accurate information on the necessary documents.
People should bear in mind that familiar German educational institutions, such as vocational colleges, do not exist in the UAE and that minors often may not be able to return to their home country unaccompanied. If the child is a member of a group of children with learning disabilities, there is no qualified staff that can provide the optimum care and special needs schools are practically non-existent.  
In contrast to Germany, children of school age abroad usually attend private schools. These high-priced institutes and any follow-up costs are only partly financed by the employers. If families choose an international school, the classroom language is usually English; German is rarely offered as a foreign language, although private German lessons are possible but often very expensive.

The most frequently asked questions were summarised in the questionnaire and can be used as guidelines in the future. The data from the selected schools should illustrate how the individual establishments are constructed. However, parents should study any institutes they are interested in and gather any useful information themselves.
                                            
The schools listed provide an insight into the various educational institutions in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, although they should not be interpreted as recommendations. The current “UAE eduguide 2007/2008” gives a much more extensive overview of the UAE school landscape.