Education in Dubai

Education in Dubai encompasses the many levels of primary, secondary and collegiate education catering to various ethnic and linguistic groups. The school system in Dubai does not differ from the school system in the United Arab Emirates. There are many public and private schools serving Emiratis and expatriates. The medium of instruction in public schools is Arabic with emphasis on English as a second language, While most of the private schools use English as their medium of instruction. The Ministry of Education of the United Arab Emirates is responsible for school's accreditation. The Dubai Education Council was established in July 2005 to develop the education sector in Dubai. [ [http://www.dec.gov.ae/English/Media+Center/14072005_2.htm HH Sheikh Mohammed issues decree establishing Dubai Education Council] , "DEC", 14 July 2005] Annual fees for all schools vary greatly from free for public schools to a few thousand or tens of thousands dirhams per year for private schools.

Primary education

Some private primary schools conduct entrance tests. Most private schools cater to one or more expatriate communities. Delhi Private School, Our Own English High School, the Dubai Modern High School, and the The Indian High School, Dubai offer either a CBSE or an ICSE Indian syllabus. Dubai English Speaking School, Jumeirah Primary School, Jebel Ali Primary School, Jumeirah English Speaking School, King's School and the Horizon School all offer British primary education up to the age of eleven.

Secondary education

Dubai British School, Dubai College, Dubai Gem Private School, English College Dubai, and Jumeirah College are all British eleven-to-eighteen secondary schools which offer GCSE and A-Levels. [http://www.stmarysdubai.com/ St. Mary's Catholic High School] offers the British curriculum GCSE and A-Level programmes to the Dubai community. The Emirates International School, Wellington School and Cambridge International High School are also secondary schools that offer a combination of GCSE, IGCSE, and IB courses to the expatriate community. Cambridge International and St. Mary's are popular choices for the Indian expat community. The International School of Choueifat and Emirates International School offer both British and American curricula. Dubai English Speaking School and Jumeirah English Speaking School are the number one primary schools of choice for many expats, with Dubai College leading the list of secondary schools.

A growing number of K-12 schools offer the American syllabus. The Universal American School (UAS), which is located in Dubai Festival City, The American School of Dubai (ASD), which is located in Jumeirah and Dubai American Academy (DAA) in Al Barsha are popular choices. ASD offers an accredited American high school diploma; UAS & DAA offer both an American-accredited high school diploma and the International Baccalaureate [IB] diploma. There are also some primary and high schools that offer Canadian and Japanese syllabi.

On 5 December 2007, Rochester Institute of Technology announced that it will be opening a satellite campus in Dubai in fall 2008. The school, RIT Dubai, will be located in Dubai Silicon Oasis.cite web |url=http://www.rit.edu/news/?v=45936 |title=RIT to Open Dubai Campus in Fall 2008 |author=Bob Finnerty |date=2007-12-05 |accessdate=2008-02-12]

Tertiary education

Many expatriates tend to send their children back to their home country or to western countries for university education. However, a sizable number of foreign accredited universities have been set up in the city over the last ten years. Some of these universities include the American University in Dubai (AUD), The American College of Dubai, SP Jain Center Of Management (part of India's reputed Business School SP Jain Institute of Management & Research), XLRI Dubai Campus for Management (in collaboration with Al Abbas Institute of Technology),Al Ghurair University, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Heriot-Watt University, Middlesex University, Dubai, SAE Insitute, Dubai the Higher Colleges of Technology (Dubai Women's College and Dubai Men's College campuses, University of Wollongong in Dubai, Dublin's Dubai business school, European University College Brussels, Dubai, Mahatma Gandhi University, Manipal University, Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology, British University of Dubai and Zayed University. Also, in 2004, the Dubai School of Government in cooperation with the Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government was set up. Its long-term objective is to become a knowledge centre in the Arab world. The Harvard Medical School Dubai Center (HMSDC) Institute for Postgraduate Education and Research has been established as well in Dubai Health Care City. Beginning in Fall 2008, Michigan State University will offer undergrad and graduate degrees in Dubai.

References

External links

* [http://www.khda.gov.ae/en/home/default.aspx Knowledge and Human Development Authority] (KHDA) - Official website
* [http://www.dubaifaqs.com/schools-dubai.php Schools in Dubai] - list of private schools with further details
* [http://www.thedubaischools.com The Dubai Schools] - Free education resource for parents and students