Who Benefits from Private Education in the UAE and Qatar? (original) (raw)
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Private Education in the Absence of a Public Option: The Cases of the United Arab Emirates and Qatar
In the face of rising demand for private schooling in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar, a lack of affordable schooling options, monopolistic behavior of private education providers, and unpredictable government regulations have created a complex and unequal education sector. This research employs a mixed methods comparative approach to explore the ways in which private education providers navigate the regulatory schooling environments and assess the impact on education stakeholders in the UAE and Qatar. The study finds that there are considerable socioeconomic differences in terms of who has access to schooling and that a growing for-profit education sector may be deepening existing inequities in both countries, leaving poorer expatriate families only able to access low-quality education or in the worst cases, unable to access education at all. The promise of non-profit providers as a viable alternative to ensure access is explored.
Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation for Policy Research Policy Paper Series, 2023
The Middle East and North Africa region has witnessed the rapid growth of the non-state education sector, including within the Gulf states. Although this growth of non-state education has provided parents with a wide variety of schooling options in which they can enroll their children, obstacles to accessing equitable, quality education persist across the Gulf. This paper examines existing legislation and policies on nonstate education to examine their inclusivity, focusing particularly on dis/ability, socioeconomic status, and ethnic background. We begin by describing the education landscape in the Gulf states of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman. We then discuss the data and limitations before summarizing the challenges and offering some recommendations to policymakers moving forward.
EDUCATION REFORM IN THE UAE -BRINGING PRIVATE SCHOOLS INTO THE FOLD
Journal of Teaching and Education, 2015
There has been a proliferation of research in recent years on education reform in the UAE, particularly teacher education in government schools. However, scant attention has been paid to reform in private schools, which, contrary to received opinion, are not only for international students, but also provide education to a growing number of Emirati students. This study examines apparent deficiencies in an American curriculum private school in Dubai: the mismatch between policy and practice. On the whole, both teachers and students, although a little unsure as to how to proceed, are enthusiastic proponents of reform, if correctly planned for. The paper concludes that a fundamental change in the quality of education in private schools needs to be urgently addressed, so that private schools may keep pace with education reform in the country as a whole.
British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, 2023
Qatar is caught in the struggle between reformation of its educational system to create a dynamic, local workforce and prepare their citizens for the competitive global market for higher education and jobs, whilst preserving the country’s values, tradition and language. This paper examines the recent policy shifts, hitherto under-explored, analysing the intended and unexpected impacts that influenced subsequent policy reform. It begins with a background on neoliberal educational policies followed by a historical account of the education system, with a focus on post-2011 where the government introduced a voucher system to further privatization. Using quantitative longitudinal analyses based on tabulating detailed government educational reports from 2010 onwards, it aims to investigate the impact of these post-2011 policies on the number of schools, students, gender and demographic composition in the government and private schooling sector. The data illustrates how a simple, linear trend of privatization has not occurred and that significant demographic changes have begun to surface between government and private schools. If these trends continue at the same rate across the next decade, this will likely result in transformative social changes and divisions in relation to identity, language, gender, cultural values, socio-economic status, higher education choices and job opportunities.
Dubai’s Private School Fees Framework: A Critical Discussion
Journal of Research in International Education, 2017
90% of the Dubai's K-12 educational provision is in the hands of the private sector, with the majority of schools operating on a for-profit basis. Demand for private schooling is unabated. In its attempt to strike a balance between consumer protection and continuing to attract private investment to address the shortage of school places, Dubai's newly appointed regulator, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), introduced the School Fees Framework (SFF) in 2012. This article explores the circumstances that led to the framework's creation, and attempts to document its development. It also analyses the SFF's objectives, how these relate to KHDA's strategic aspirations, and the extent to which the SFF's objectives are indeed achievable. Through linking fee increases with school ratings, the KHDA had hoped to achieve one of its main goals: raising educational standards. Early evidence suggests that this approach has in fact caused a widening of the achievement gap between 'rich' and 'poor' schools in an industry that is already highly stratified by pricing.
Promoting Quality and Variety Through the Public Financing of Privately Operated Schools in Qatar
In 2002, Qatar began establishing publicly funded, privately operated "independent schools" in parallel with the existing, centralized Ministry of Education system. The reform that drove the establishment of the independent schools included accountability provisions such as (a) measuring school and student performance and (b) distributing school performance information to parents. Because parental demand for the new schools exceeds supply, the effectiveness of parental choice in promoting accountability is limited. The independent schools showed higher student achievement (in elementary grades) and significant changes in classroom practices on the basis of data. In 2009 announced that all ministry schools would convert to independent schools. In addition, over time, vouchers would become available to allow per-student funding to be used in some private schools.
2018
This study aims to identify factors that significantly influence parents in Qatar in their preference for private or public schools for their children. Determining the effects of different factors regarding the choice of public or private school and identifying negative and positive aspects of each school type will enhance Qatar education decision-makers understanding of reasons influencing parental school choice which will help them in their future policy decisions regarding education. 322 parents participated in a web-based questionnaire survey to identify the differences in perceptions of public and private schools' parents related to the academic factors; parentschool relationship and convenience factors. The data were analyzed and showed that there are five significant predictors of parental school choice. Parents who identified the importance of class size factor, parent-school relationship factor and additional curriculum factor are more likely to choose a private school. However, parents who identified the importance of consideration of religious factor and school facilities factor are less likely to send their children to a private school. The results from this study also demonstrated that there is no significant relationship between parents' iv income and education levels and the school choice. This study contributes to the store of academic knowledge on the subject in Qatar.
The Other Gap: Examining Low-income Emiratis' Educational Achievement
Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation for Policy Research Working Paper Series, 2018
This working paper examines how low-income Emiratis are doing in secondary schools in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Using PISA 2015 data on Emiratis’ performance to assess academic performance in math, science, and reading, it disaggregates students’ performance by key student and school characteristics, including: family wealth, gender, school sector, and emirate. It finds strong evidence that low-income Emiratis are performing much worse than their middle and upper-income peers, and the gap between the top and bottom wealth quintiles is as large or larger than the gap between girls and boys. It argues that despite the significant attention paid to the male-female gender gap, this “other gap” – the wealth gap – also deserves attention. The findings also indicate that other student characteristics also shape performance: low-income boys are performing worse than low-income girls and private schools in general are serving low-income students better. However, there are also important differences in performance across emirates, with the Northern Emirates serving low-income students in the public sector better than Dubai, where low-income students seem to benefit more from being in the private sector. The second half of the paper examines low-income Emiratis’ home and school environments, and finds that low-income students are often uncomfortable in school and the recipients of negative attention from teachers and peers. The paper argues that low-income Emiratis are not being served well by the existing school system and policies must address the distinct needs of low-income Emiratis.