Dubai continues to offer a variety of diverse school syllabuses, with private schools offering at least 17 different criteria. At the beginning of this academic year, four new private schools opened, the official Emirates News Agency WAM reported on Monday.

Schools offering UK curriculum remain the top choice for Dubai private school students, with 36 percent opting for it, data from Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) showed.

The second most popular was the Indian curriculum (26 percent), followed by the American curriculum (15 percent), the International Baccalaureate (7 percent), and UK/IB hybrid curriculum (4 percent).

“These student enrolment figures represent healthy, sustainable growth, and show the trust that parents have in the ability of Dubai private schools to give their children an education grounded in wellbeing that can meet the demands of the future,” WAM quoted Dr. Abdulla Al Karam, Director General of KHDA, as saying.

“While the range of curricula offered in Dubai speaks to the diversity of our community; all schools are committed to a quality-driven, future-focused approach that will enable students to thrive. We’re grateful to school leaders, teachers, students and parents for their contribution to world-class education in Dubai,” he added.

The American curriculum still remains the top choice for Emirati students enrolled in private schools, as KHDA figures showed that 60 percent of Emirati students were attending US curriculum schools. The second most popular choice for Emirati student were UK curriculum schools, with 24 percent opting for it.

The KHDA also revealed that during the 2021-22 academic year, student enrollment in private schools increased by 4.5 percent.

More than 326,000 students of 187 different nationalities now attend Dubai’s private schools.