Dubai’s education landscape is unique; with so many nationalities living and working in the Emirate, our children and young adults are taught in schools which offer 13 different curricula and in early learning centres with a variety of approaches.

Dubai has 148 private schools offering programmes to more than 207,500 students (KHDA School Census 2011/12). Private schools cater to 87% of Dubai’s population, with the government school system open only to Emirati students. 43% of Emirati students in Dubai attend government schools, with the remainder in the private system. As well as different curricula, private schools also offer a wide variety of fee levels to cater to different sections of society.

KHDA’s role is to ensure that Dubai’s private schools are established and operate according to the highest quality standards, in line with our legislation. Our team ensures an ongoing supervision of Dubai schools through regular inspections and international assessments. KHDA’s Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau (DSIB) carries out detailed inspections of every private school in Dubai and the Regulations and Compliance Commission (RCC) are responsible for the licensing of schools and their adherence to regulations and guidelines.

Schools with educational services permits can access our e-Services page for renewals and amendments to their permits.