Up to Dh13,000: UAE school field trips offer learning benefits at high costs, some parents say

As schools near the half-term break, many institutions plan field trips. This is a common practice in various private schools, designed to enrich students’ learning experiences by offering practical, real-world applications of their classroom lessons.

Some parents view these trips as costly and superficial, while others emphasise the significant educational benefits they offer, such as cultural immersion and teamwork opportunities.

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Is it a prestige activity for institutions?

Khaleej Times spoke to a group of parents to explore whether visiting a specific destination or venue truly fosters engagement with the country’s culture or if it merely leans toward “prestige activities” for schools.

Shreya Charkaraborty, a mother of a Year 4 student, said: “My son is learning Spanish in school, and they have an upcoming Spanish breakfast event at a mall in Dubai, with a cost of Dh92 for parents. This event is said to combine educational enrichment with a delightful culinary experience for the students."

"All his friends would be attending, my son said, and it’s said to be an opportunity for them to immerse themselves in the language and culture they are studying. While this seems persuasive, I can’t help but feel that it is excessive and is just a way of posturing things,” the parent expressed.

She added: “Next year, the school plans to take students on a trip to Switzerland, which will undoubtedly be quite expensive. While participation is optional, my child has already started asking me about it. I know that many schools organise these types of trips, but my question is how can a child truly learn about the culture by just going on a trip?”

Is a Dh13,000 field trip worth it?

Unlike Chakraborty, Christine Quartier La Tente feels sending children on these school trips can be a transformative experience for both personal and educational growth.

The French expat believes that travelling abroad also encourages independence and self-confidence in children.

“We sent her to Japan last Tuesday for her first international field trip, which cost Dh13,000. While other countries were more affordable, visiting Japan has been her dream since she was a child.”

“I believe this is an amazing opportunity for her to create lifelong memories during her school years. The school handles all the logistics, making it very convenient for us as well. She’ll treasure this time spent with her classmates, away from the family bubble. She still has some time to enjoy herself before the pressures and workload that come with Grade 10,” added the mother of the Year 7 student at Raffles World Academy.

Additionally, with the weather becoming more favourable, schools arrange overnight camping trips to other emirates, which can cost at least Dh1,500 per child at several international curricula schools. Many parents feel compelled to send their children on these trips to avoid disappointing them.

Russian expat Andrey Shashkov, a father of three school-aged children, stressed that while payments for educational outings do occur, they are rare and usually happen only a few times per term. However, the costs for some trips can be hard to manage.

The Dubai resident believes that when students come together as a class, “it creates a valuable learning opportunity for them".

“My wife avoids sending them to too many activities that she believes our children won’t be interested in. But the problem is if their friends are attending something and they can’t go, they tend to feel upset."

“However, the costs for residential trips, like the one to Ras Al Khaimah that they had last year, is what hurts. Parents later learnt that the food wasn’t appealing, and the cost of the trip was Dh2,500 per child. I expect we’ll have a similar trip coming up for the children in the second term this academic year. I understand they enjoy these trips, but the extent of their learning during these trips really varies,” added Shashkov.

Trips are always grounded in curriculum objectives, say schools

Meanwhile, headteachers emphasised that the selection of field trip destinations is always grounded in curriculum objectives and learning outcomes.