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UAE leads in international English-language schools

Accordingly, the UAE now has 589 schools fitting the category, compared to 511 last year.

The UAE has kept its position as the country with the most listing for English-language international schools, according to new data released the International Schools Consultancy, or ISC.

Accordingly, the UAE now has 589 schools fitting the category, compared to 511 last year.

The data comes from a report that ISC - a global market intelligence and research firm - will be presenting in full at the International Private Schools Education Forum Middle East on September 27 and 28 in Dubai. Richard Gaskell, ISC's Director for International Schools, will be presenting the latest data on international school growth in the UAE, along with a detailed analysis on the employment of teachers at international schools in the region.

The report indicates that the number of K-12 English-language schools in the world stands at 8,489, with 1,504 located in the Middle East, the largest sub-region for international schools in the world.

Following the UAE, the countries that figured in the top ten were China, Pakistan, India, Spain, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Egypt, Brazil and Indonesia. Going by city, Dubai leads the world in international schools with 276. Abu Dhabi comes in third place, with 154.

These impressive numbers only confirm the continuing growth of private, international school education throughout the Gulf region, said Rhona Greenhill, co-founder of the event. That said, the business landscape is changing and this presents a number of challenges for private sector stakeholders which we hope to address at the forthcoming forum to which we have invited experts on how the private, international school sub-sector can continue its growth trajectory. ISC calculates that more than 4.3 million students are now being educated at international schools worldwide, and by 2026, enrolment is projected to reach 8.7 million.