How UAE parents manage school budget

The saying goes that parenting can be one of the hardest jobs in the world, but it can be a costly one too.
In the UAE, where the expatriate population dwarfs that of the local population, parents residing in the country have to consider two major cost of living here, Atik Munshi, financial advisor at Horwath Mak, told Khaleej Times.
"One being the rent and the other, school fees for their children."
Munshi said school tuition fees can range from anywhere between Dh6,000 to D100,000+, depending on which school and curriculum you choose.
So to effectively factor this monetary requirement into daily living, parents need to budget this cost based on three criteria: the emirate in which they are living; the school curriculum; and the number of children and their age.
Schooling is a repetitive cost which occurs every year and will last for nearly one and a half decades for most parents (from FS1 to grade 12).  And the more the children you have, the higher the costs, he said.
The UAE's education system works in such a way that the higher the age of the child, the higher the school expense is.
"So apart from the normal tuition fees, parents have to shell out related fees like uniform costs, bus fees, books, trips, other extra-curricular activities, which can range between 15-20 per cent additional on top of the tuition fees."
Typically, Munshi said the Asian curriculum schools are more economic compared to their western counterparts.
And when it comes to trends, parents with more children may choose to live in northern emirates where rent costs are lower hence the extra saving can help in the child's school fees.
- kelly@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE
• Dubai