Annual
Abu Dhabi Education Council PO Box 36005, Abu Dhabi, UAE Tel: +971 2 615 0000 Fax: +971 2 615 0651 www.adec.ac.ae ADECAbuDhabi @ADECTweet ADEC_Insta ADECAbuDhabi
Introduction The Private Schools & Quality Assurance Sector (PSQA) is pleased to publish its third Annual Report on private schools in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The Abu Dhabi Private Schools Annual Report 2014/2015 presents a set of important statistical indicators about the private schools education sector in the Emirate including updated information, data tables and graphs. It also highlights the expected growth in demand for private schools in the coming few years. The Report highlights the importance of sharing statistical data on private schools on timely basis. Information presented in the Report shows PSQA s efforts in developing the private schools sector to meet high quality standards in education. ADEC Vision Education First Recognized as a world class education system that supports all learners in reaching their full potential to compete in the global market. ADEC Mission To produce world-class learners who embody a strong sense of culture and heritage and are prepared to meet global challenges. ADEC Values Teamwork: Emphasize the virtues of cooperation and coordination. Integrity: Do the right thing no matter what the circumstances are. Transparency: Open true and honest communication and action. Respect: Respect children, colleagues, parents and community. Accountability: Take personal responsibility for action. Compassion: Care and responsibility towards others. 1
Director General s Message Education is our gateway to a bright future and our means to nurturing the culture of creativity and a knowledge-based society. Ensuring a bright future requires investing in our human capital, which has become a critical factor in shaping the development of a nation. Based on that perspective, ADEC seeks to exert more effort into developing education further, while creating best solutions to face today s modern world obstacles. ADEC is constantly looking into all means available to help turn the Emirate of Abu Dhabi into a pioneering hub for the best schools and educational institutions that offer updated services, facilities, academic programs and apply best international practices. As part of the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030 to equip youth with teaching and learning methods that can help create a sustainable knowledge based economy and a strong human capital workforce, ADEC continues to thrive on equipping students with the most advanced skills and latest scientific knowledge. It is without doubt that private education is a key supporting sector alongside public education, since it helps contribute to the economic structure of the nation. The quality of education significantly contributes to equipping students with necessary knowledge, skills, values and behaviors that turns them into dynamic and efficient individuals. This is achieved through the utilization of innovative teaching techniques, which grants students ample opportunity to implement what they have learned during class and in extracurricular activities, and all of this is done using highly modern and advanced techniques. The Private Schools Annual Report sheds light on the efforts exerted by the Emirate of Abu Dhabi to elevate education standards and introduce new initiatives which can help further bolster the performance of schools. 2
Moreover, the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) plays a key role in creating new investment opportunities through strategic partnerships with investors and private school operators at the local and international level. ADEC is confident that it can overcome all challenges and continues its journey towards success as shown in the Private Schools Annual Report, and as per the vision of our wise and prudent government to offer one of the best education systems in the world. Sincerely, H.E. Dr. Amal Al-Qubaisi Director General of Abu Dhabi Education Council 3
PSQA Executive Director s Message As per Abu Dhabi Education Council s (ADEC s) strategy plan to offer all students equally a wide array of learning opportunities in a constructive school environment, ADEC has worked tediously to deliver best educational programs which offer qualitative education in line with highest standards at an affordable cost for everyone. ADEC s ambitious plans are centered towards equipping students with basic skills and the necessary experience required to pave the way for their university education and qualify them for a competitive professional career in different scientific fields such as science, technology and engineering; fields that play a pivotal role in achieving Abu Dhabi s 2030 Economic Vision. The Private Schools & Quality Assurance Sector (PSQA) at ADEC has taken major strides towards achieving excellence and enhancing the educational system. It has also overcome numerous challenges and difficulties. There are still ongoing efforts to achieve even bigger results in order to encourage the shift towards a knowledge-based economy. The regulations of private schools in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, which have been approved by the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, were developed to regulate the private schools operations in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, upgrade and enhance the quality of education, and underscore the equality of educational opportunities in order to qualify a new generation of students capable of meeting needs of the labor market and diversifying the sources of income for the Emirate. ADEC has also issued the Private Schools and Policy Guidance Manual which further clarifies and underscores the implementation of the private schools regulations and the relevant policies to ensure transparency for the operations of private schools. In line with ADEC s keenness to implement a comprehensive assessment system that is in accordance with highest international standards set to measure the quality of education and enhance the quality of private schools operating in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, PSQA continues to run the Irtiqa a program as part of its annual performance development plan. 4
PSQA showcases the results of private school assessments at ADEC s website twice a year instead of once a year or after the end of each assessment cycle. The latest assessment results have been published via ADEC s website and show a considerable improvement to the schools performance compared to last year results. PSQA has made numerous achievements as it added 45 new private schools to the Emirate of Abu Dhabi over the past four years to meet the increasing demand for private school seats with their different curricula, and thereby added additional 58,000 academic seats. Total investments over the past four years reached 2.3 billion Dirhams, where the total income of private schools is estimated at almost 3.2 billion Dirhams for investors in the private school sector. of international corporations and meeting prominent investors, developers, and education experts who possess outstanding knowledge in the field of investing in private schools in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. ADEC is committed to offering all kinds of support for investors who have a distinguished professional record and a long-standing experience in the management of educational institutions, this support includes providing them with the necessary information about market requirements, future outlook of the private schools market, in addition to processing their licensing applications in order to ensure further achievements and underscore the private education sector s position in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, as it continuously proves its credibility and supports the government s efforts and the community as a whole. The Emirate of Abu Dhabi hosts 188 private schools, which attracts about 64% of the total student population in the Emirate, 24% of whom are UAE Nationals. It is expected that the total number of students will continue to grow at a rate of 5% per year. Sincerely, H.E. Eng. Hamad Al Dhaheri Executive Director - Private Schools & Quality Assurance Sector ADEC spares no effort to strengthen joint cooperation and partnerships, and is keen on discussing all relevant topics with competent stakeholders across various economic sectors. ADEC also focuses on identifying success stories 5
Private School & Quality Assurance Sector (PSQA) Overview Vision The PSQA s Strategic Plan (2013/2017) World class private education P-12 system that provides affordable high quality education to all students in the Emirates of Abu Dhabi and promotes the UAE national identity The Private Schools and Quality Assurance (PSQA) Sector was established in 2010 to implement ADEC s Strategic Plan to achieve for the rapid improvement in the school system in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The Sector s key functions are to regulate, license, inspect and support private schools. In addition to PSQA being responsible to oversee and manage Private Schools and Support its improvement plans, it also focus Priority 1 Quality & Academic Outcomes Priority 2 Non-academic Outcomes & National Identity Priority 3 Access & Affordability on attracting new qualified investors to start up new private schools. PSQA has launched its Strategic Plan 2013/2017 which aims to achieve rapid and far-reaching improvements in private schools to provide all students with access to world-class education across the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The Strategic Plan 2013/2017 focuses on three core priorities: Improving the quality of education and academic outcomes achieved across private schools by focusing on student performance, effective teaching and school leadership Generating satisfactory outcomes for student s personal and social development in addition to promoting National Identity and nurturing the ideal citizen Increasing access to private schools by ensuring there is an adequate capacity in the market and making affordable quality options available for students 6
The Sector s key functions are to regulate, license, inspect and support existing private schools and attract new investors to invest in private schools; these functions are carried out by five main divisions Private Schools & Quality Assurance Sector Dr. Anwar S. Dawood Policy, planning & Performance Management Division Eng. Tareq Al Ameri Promotion & Business Development Division Dr. George Nader Licensing & Accreditation Division Edward Murtagh Inspection & Monitoring Division Dr. Maryam Al Ali School Development Division Develop P-12 private school policies, guidelines, standards, and regulations. Develop a private school master plan. Devise strategies to ensure private school capacity meets demand. Set Private Schools and Quality Assurance sector targets and monitor its performance. Promote Abu Dhabi s Private School education locally and internationally. Attract good quality private education providers to startup and expand in Abu Dhabi. Provide set-up support to new schools. Manage contracts with high quality providers through special arrangements. Set and update standards for private schools licensing. Manage and administer the licensing and accreditation of all P-12 schools. Monitor licensed schools and ensure its compliance with the regulations and policies. Approve tuition fees and process fee increase requests. Principals and teachers appointment. Oversee private schools operations. Define inspection standards, plan and manage inspections of all private and government schools. Quality assure inspection reports and publish inspection results. Manage thematic investigations of issues that impact on the quality of education provision. Identify key private school issues/ challenges and define strategies to resolve them. Plan and manage implementation of private school improvement strategies and programs. 7
Abu Dhabi Private Schools Landscape 2014/2015
Private Schools Statistics in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi 2014/2015 The private sector is set to increase its prominent role in education in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi to accommodate the continuous demand for private schools and enhance the services provided to students. In 2014/ 2015 there were 188 private schools operating in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi distributed in three regions Abu Dhabi Region, Al Ain City and Al Gharbia in which about 64% of total students population of the Emirate is enrolled private schools. Figure 1: Number of schools in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi (2014/2015) 118 l oo Al Gharbia Sch Abu Dhabi Region 12 ool Sch 58 ool Sch Al Ain City Source: ADEC 2014/2015 9
Figure 2: Schools distribution by curricula (2014/2015) Figure 3: Students distribution per curricula (2014/2015) 24% 24% American 10% 24% 23% British 23% MoE 18% Indian 16% 6% 5% Others SABIS 1% 1% IB 2% 23% Source: ADEC 2014/2015 American British MOE Indian SABIS IB Others Source: ADEC 2014/2015 The number of private schools in the Emirate has witnessed volatility over the past few years, reaching a total of 188 private schools in 2014-15. The main reason for the volatility in the number of schools is closing the villa schools due to the imposed regulations which restrict schools from operating in villas schools and other schools not meeting ADEC s new requirements and regulations covering health and safety standards over the last few years which is compensated with the addition of new schools. Private schools in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi follow 14 different curricula in which schools that are offering the American, MOE, British and Indian curricula attracted about 88% of total student enrolment in private schools in 2014/ 2015. 10
Figure 4: National students compared to expat students (2014/2015) Abu Dhabi Region The following table presents the number of students distributed by grade and students cycle. Approximately 70% of the students are enrolled in cycle 1 and cycle 2. Table 1: Number of students distributed by grade and students cycle (2014/2015) National 21% Expat 79% Students cycle Grades Abu Dhabi Al Ain Al Gharbia Grand Total KG KG1 11,882 4,353 827 17,062 KG2 15,104 6,028 1,117 22,249 Al Ain City G01 15,530 6,236 1,188 22,954 G02 14,895 6,009 1,175 22,079 Cycle 1 G03 13,761 5,522 957 20,240 National 31% Expat 69% G04 12,564 4,993 934 18,491 G05 12,085 4,726 817 17,628 G06 11,083 4,366 660 16,109 Al Gharbia Cycle 2 G07 10,177 3,951 566 14,694 G08 9,250 3,589 429 13,268 G09 8,082 3,252 312 11,646 National 26% Expat 74% Cycle 3 G10 7,254 2,831 218 10,303 G11 6,194 2,455 142 8,791 G12 5,721 2,449 119 8,289 Source: ADEC 2014/2015 Grand Total 153,582 60,760 9,461 223,803 Source: ADEC 2014/2015 11
Figure 5: Students growth by region for the last five years Figure 6: National and expat students growth in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi 2014-2015 2013-2014 2012-2013 2014-2015 54,000 169,803 2011-2012 2010-2011 2013-2014 51,925 162,662 121,691 53,612 126,252 53,114 135,626 57,399 145,210 60,384 60,760 153,582 2012-2013 2011-2012 2010-2011 National 48,957 45,834 43,250 Expat 151,689 139,789 137,298 - Source: ADEC 2014/2015 5,245 180,548 6,257 185,623 7,621 200,646 8,993 214,587 9,461 223,803 Total number of students in private schools in 2014/ 2015 has reached about 224,000 students. The growth has been relatively stable recording a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 6% over the last five years. Abu Dhabi Region Al Ain City Al Gharbia Source: ADEC 2014/2015 12
Figure 8: Students distribution per curricula by region (2014/2015) Figure 7: Students distribution by nationality (2014/ 2015) 1% 24% 8% 60,000 29% 50,000 1% 32,310 39,105 31,470 18,039 11,283 18,675 3,132 467 1,318 28,515 8,685 40,000 2,789 30,000 6,996 2,874 2,076 1,755 2,002 12,312 20,000 37% 10,000 Emirati Asian GCC (Without Emirati) Western Arabs Others Source: ADEC 2014/2015 0 American British Abu Dhabi Region MoE Indian Al Ain City IB SABIS Others Al Gharbia Source: ADEC 2014/2015 13
Figure 9: Schools distribution by tution fee category (2014/2015) Abu Dhabi Region Al Ain City Figure 10: Students distribution by tuition fee category (2014/2015) 32% 55% 25% 118 24% 58 20% 12% 14% 7% 9% 2% 40% (89,883) Al Gharbia 25% (56,848) 49% 17% 17% 17% 0% 12 (43,197) 20% 10% (22,566) Source: ADEC 2014/2015 (11,309) 5% Most of the Asian curricula schools, such as Indian, Pakistani and Philippines fall under the affordable to low categories. While many MOE schools do fall under affordable to medium ranges. Most of the international curricula schools (British, American, IB, etc.) are considered medium to premium schools in terms of tuition fees. This is mainly due to the fact that the cost of establishing and operating these schools is higher, which reflect on the tuition fees. Source: ADEC 2014/2015 Around 85% of private school students are enrolled in private schools which offer affordable fees to medium fees. Very Low Low Medium High Premium AED < 10,000 AED 10,000-AED 19,999 AED 20,000-AED 29,999 AED 30,000-AED 49,999 AED >50,000 14
In 2014/ 2015, the number of teachers in private schools reached about 12,300 compared to about 6,500 management staff. The overall average student to teacher ratio in Abu Dhabi private schools is 17:1 which might vary across the different curricula. Figure 11: Number of teachers and management staff in private schools 2010/2011 2011/2012 2012/2013 2013/2014 2014/2015 Teachers & Teachers Assistants 11,010 11,896 12,277 12,493 12,285 2010/2011 2011/2012 2012/2013 2013/2014 2014/2015 Management Staff 5,730 6,192 6,182 6,344 6,507 2010/2011 2011/2012 2012/2013 2013/2014 2014/2015 Total 16,740 18,088 18,459 18,837 18,792 2010/2011 2011/2012 2012/2013 2013/2014 2014/2015 Pupil to teacher ratio 17 16 17 17 18 Source: ADEC 2014/ 2015 15
Figure 12: Students Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) by curricula per region (2010/2011-2014/2015) 45,000 40,000 35,000 30,000 14% 9% 4% 2% 25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000 4% Abu Dhabi Region 0 American British Indian MoE SABIS 2010/2011 2011/2012 2012/2013 2013/2014 2014/2015 25,000 20,000 16% -0.2% 15,000 3% Al Ain City 10,000 1% 5,000 2% 0 American British Indian MoE SABIS 3,500 3,000 2,500 103% 9% 2010/2011 2011/2012 2012/2013 2013/2014 2014/2015 2,000 1,500 2% 7% 1,000 500 7% Al Gharbia 0 American British Indian MoE SABIS 2010/2011 2011/2012 2012/2013 2013/2014 2014/2015 Source: ADEC 2014/2015 16
Figure 13: Students Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) by curricula in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi (2010/2011-2014/2015) The American and British curricula recorded the highest students enrolment growth in the past 5 years; with CAGR of 16% and 7% respectively. 60,000 CAGR 16% CAGR 7% CAGR 1% 2010/2011 50,000 CAGR 4% 2011/2012 40,000 30,000 2012/2013 20,000 CAGR 4% 2013/2014 10,000 0 2014/2015 American British Indian MoE SABIS Source: ADEC 2014/2015 17
PSQA in collaboration with strategic partners are working on increasing the investments activities in private schools to start up new schools and add additional academic seats every year to accommodate the growing demand for private schools. Figure 14: Additional supply in private schools in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi 2011 2012 2012 2013 2013 2014 2014 2015 2015 2016 * 10 9 11 15 11 Number of schools 2011 2012 2012 2013 2013 2014 2014 2015 2015 2016 * 11,863 9,418 13,000 23,411 19,944 Number of seats The approximate amount of investments for opening the new schools from 2011/2012 to 2014/2015 was AED2.3 Bn Source: ADEC 2014/ 2015 Note: *Expected number of schools and seats might change based on schools buildings construction status and site circumstances. **Expected number of academic seats to be aded, includes seats from new schools and seats being added in existing schools due to expasion plans. The approximate investments exclude the investment amount for the academic year 2015/2016 18
Based on PSQA s master plan for private schools, it is anticipated that student population will continue to grow for the foreseeable future across the Emirate of Abu Dhabi with a CAGR of 5%. Figure 15: Projected private schools enrolment (2011/2012-2020/2021) 185,623 200,646 214,587 223,803 234,177 244,014 253,731 263,639 273,676 283,798 300,000 Students enrolment 250,000 200,000 150,000 100,000 12,843 10,280 7,257 48,315 35,556 12,133 10,712 7,886 53,474 37,009 12,328 10,752 2,595 54,495 38,800 46,187 14,314 10,827 2,874 51,463 39,989 50,855 14,932 11,348 2,992 53,901 41,836 53,129 15,553 11,887 3,120 56,084 43,660 55,316 16,774 16,157 12,984 12,427 3,371 3,244 58,244 60,437 47,313 45,466 59,640 57,458 17,393 13,555 3,499 62,657 49,190 61,837 18,011 14,141 3,625 64,893 51,090 64,037 50,000 39,198 39,588 0 32,174 39,844 49,430 53,481 56,038 58,394 60,734 63,120 65,545 68,001 2011/2012 2012/2013 2013/2014 2014/2015 2015/2016 2016/2017 2017/2018 2018/2019 2019/2020 2020/2021 American British Indian MoE IB SABIS Others Source: ADEC 2014/ 2015 19
PSQA Achievements (2014/2015) Implemented Projects Research Studies ADEC Excellence Awards Development and implementation of Private Schools Policy Guidence Manual. Inspection reports of the third inspection cycle (2013-2015) were published for all private schools inspected during this cycle: (183 private schools). The first inspection cycle of government schools (2012-2015) was concluded: in which 262 government schools were inspected. Opening 15 new private schools in 2014/2015 which added 23,000 academic seats. Development and implementation of a Students Competency Framework (first stage) which determined the required competencies for all students in private schools. Publishing a report about National Identity and culture in Private and government schools. Publishing a report about Parental Engagement in schools in Abu Dhabi. Capacity Measurement and Utilization study has been conducted to help assess the supply and demand situation in the private schools in Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Receiving ADEC Excellence Award for Irtiqa s Program for Inspection Private Schools Transformational Projects Category. Receiving ADEC Excellence Award for Management Supervision Field. Receiving ADEC Excellence Award for Dedicated Employee with Long-term Service. Receiving ADEC Excellence Award for Best Employee in Site Feild. 20
PSQA Achievements (2014/2015) Professional Development/ Schools Support Other Achievements Professional Development Programs to support school development in Self Evaluation Form (SEF) and School Development Plan (SDP). All training materials are available on the Network Learning Community: https://partners.adec.ac.ae Professional Development Program in Islamic Education and Arabic Language for native and non-native speakers. Conduct leadership and teachers forums to share best practices. Conduct workshops for private schools participants in the international assessement for TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Studies). The 3rd Abu Dhabi Private Education Investment Forum has been conducted for about 300 people. Issuing 9 Provisional License letters for new schools. Conducting Arabic language EMSA test for grades 5-7-9 and 11 for a total of 17,000 students. Issuing 7,000 appointment letters to schools. Appointing 115 Schools Principals and Vice Principals. Developing an online system for teachers appointments in private school. Completing the 2nd CCTV audit for private schools. 21
Stakeholder Engagement
PSQA Main Events Abu Dhabi Private Education Investment Forum Annual event to strengthen the communication channels between investors and other stakeholders and to explore new investment opportunities in the private schools market. Annual Orientation for Private Schools Annual event to familiarize private school leaders and principals with different aspects related to latest PSQA regulations, projects and initiatives. Annual Conference for Inspection and Monitoring Annual event to discuss and consider the impact of inspection on the private schools development. 24
PSQA Main Events Policies and Regulations Training Workshops Training workshops to discuss and familiarize schools principals with the private schools policies and regulations. Professional Development Training, Workshops and Seminars Training, workshops and seminars to improve leadership, teaching and learning skills of school staff to ensure that students have the best chance for future success. External Measurement of Student Achievement (EMSA) Meeting A meeting with schools principals to discuss the EMSA test for Arabic Subject. 25
PSQA Main Publications Private Schools Policy and Guidance (PSPG) Manual The PSPG manual elaborates on the existing regulations for private schools in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, in which each policy is linked to one of the articles in the regulations book. It consists of 22 chapters and 81 policies. Investment Guideline The Investment Guideline is designed to provide an overview of the relevant economic, sector and regulatory considerations for investors who wish be part of the private schooling landscape in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. PSQA Sector Annual Report 2013/2014 The PSQA Sector s Annual Report presents a set of important indicators about private schools in the Emirate for the last five years and highlights the expected significant growth in demand to private schools in the coming few years. All publications can be found on https://www.adec.ac.ae/en/mediacenter/pages/publications.aspx 26
PSQA Main Publications National Identity and Culture A study has been conducted about the National Identity and Culture in the Emirate to understand how these are being promoted in public and private schools. The study was structured to detect the main differences between private and public schools in promoting national identity and culture planning, management, content, curricular approach, assessment and guiding vision. Parental Engagement in Schools in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi This report summarizes the results of an investigation into parental engagement in government and private Schools in Abu Dhabi. All publications can be found on https://www.adec.ac.ae/en/mediacenter/pages/publications.aspx 27
Private Schools & Quality Assurance Sector (PSQA) For inquiries and suggestions, please contact us via the below email addresses or visit any of ADEC s customer service centers in the Abu Dhabi headquarters, Al Ain and/or Al Gharbia regional offices. Executive Director ed.psqa@adec.ac.ae School Development sch.improvement@adec.ac.ae Licensing & Accreditation private.schools@adec.ac.ae Inspection & Monitoring irtiqaa@adec.ac.ae Promotion & Business Development bd.psqa@adec.ac.ae Policy & Planning and Performance Management psqa-policy@adec.ac.ae About ADEC ADEC website www.adec.ac.ae 28