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Schools Show Signs that Expat Exodus is Over: Sulaiman

DUBAI - Enrollment at Dubai schools for South Asian children rose by 2 per cent in the academic year that began in April, evidence that the emirate’s expatriate population is stable—and a sign that the economy’s fundamentals are stronger than critics have claimed, a senior government official said on Sunday.

Dr Omar bin Sulaiman, Governor of the Dubai International Financial Centre, noted the enrollment finding from a new study of Indian and Pakistani schools by the Dubai Knowledge and Human Development Authority. Indians and Pakistanis are the two biggest groups of foreigners in Dubai and are therefore a bellwether for overall trends in the emirate’s population and economic health.

“Given that these communities represent a large portion of the Dubai expatriate population, this is another sign that, despite the empty talk of sceptics, there is a continuing flow of real data showing the stability of the expatriate population,” Dr bin Sulaiman said.

“We are confident that similar results will be found in other expatriate schools with the start of their new academic year in the fall.”

Dr bin Sulaiman, who also serves as Deputy Governor of the UAE Central Bank, made his comments to members of the Indian Business & Professional Council. His comments came a day after Hamad Buamim, director general of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, mentioned Dabai’s “recent” population growth of 8 per cent. Neither bin Sulaiman nor Buamim gave further details.

Both officials cited their respective statistics to counter recent reports, anecdotal evidence and rampant speculation about an exodus of foreigners from Dubai in recent months. In fact, many foreigners have left as a consequence of the economic slowdown and job losses, and investment bank EFG Hermes projected in March that Dubai’s population alone would tumble this year by 17 per cent.

However, bin Sulaiman argued that the situation has started to stabilise and may even have reversed.

Any significant shrinkage in Dubai’s population would have a severe impact on property values and retail sales. The property and retail sectors, in turn, are key contributors to Dubai’s gross domestic product, hence the 
official concern.

Bin Sulaiman praised Indian businessmen in the UAE as integral to the country’s growth. “The development and success of the UAE and Dubai wouldn’t be what it is without the committed, dynamic and entrepreneurial contribution of the Indian community… ,” he told his audience.

“In fact, some of Dubai’s biggest brands and commercial enterprises were founded by members of the Indian community in Dubai and have played an important role in contributing to the rise of Dubai as not just a regional, but also a global centre of trade, commerce, finance, education, healthcare, transportation and tourism.”


bruce@khaleejtimes.com