Latest news with #privateeducation
Arabian Business
6 days ago
- General
- Arabian Business
Massive improvements at Sharjah schools with 5 rated ‘Very Good'
Private schools in Sharjah have seen significant improvements as more are handed a 'Very Good' or 'Good' rating. The Sharjah Private Education Authority has announced the results of the third cycle of the Itqan programme for the 2024–2025 academic year, aimed at evaluating the performance quality of private schools in the emirate. Field visits were conducted across 86 schools offering 10 curricula, including classroom observations, document reviews, activity participation, and stakeholder meetings. Private schools in Sharjah Surveys gathered input from 40,838 parents, 44,810 students and 5,698 teachers. The Itqan programme assesses adherence to quality standards under the UAE's national school evaluation framework while improving schools' educational and administrative practices. This cycle targeted 43 schools rated 'Good' in 2022–2023, 37 schools rated 'Acceptable' in 2023–2024, and six new schools. The evaluation took place in two phases: the first from 4th to 28th November 2024, covering 33 schools, and the second from 20th January to 20th February 2025, covering 53 schools. The results showed that: Five schools were rated Very Good 53 schools were rated Good 28 schools were rated Acceptable, No schools were rated as either Weak or Very Weak. These outcomes highlight a marked improvement since 2018, when only seven schools achieved a 'Good' rating and one was classified as 'Very Good.' By contrast, 2025 saw 79 schools rated 'Good' and 14 rated 'Very Good,' while the number of 'Acceptable' schools dropped from 68 to 28. Ali Al Hosani, Director-General of the Sharjah Private Education Authority, described Itqan as a key initiative in advancing private education in the emirate. He said it not only monitors performance but also provides a structured roadmap for continuous improvement. The latest results, he added, confirm the sector's commitment to quality and its role in fostering academic excellence and a healthy learning environment. Al Hosani also stressed the importance of engaging parents, students and staff through surveys, which offer valuable insight into the quality of education and help identify areas for improvement in line with international best practices. Itqan is part of a broader effort to assess the effectiveness of schools in meeting quality standards and delivering educational outcomes that support student development across academic, personal and social dimensions. The programme includes several complementary initiatives, such as a school leadership programme designed to enhance management skills among school leaders. In total, 25 training sessions were held, offering 50 hours of training and benefiting 1,080 teachers, leaders and specialists in Sharjah. In parallel, the authority's professional development programme has significantly grown in recent years. In 2022, a professional development week included 40 sessions over 63 hours, reaching 1,600 teachers. In 2023, 41 sessions and 126 hours benefited 2,044 teachers. In 2024, the focus shifted to content quality and diversity, with 16 sessions totalling 1,145 training hours and reaching 1,145 teachers. A self-assessment initiative also supports schools in periodically reviewing their performance to identify strengths and areas for growth. Through Itqan, the Sharjah Private Education Authority reaffirms its commitment to advancing private education in the emirate and fostering a culture of excellence in both academic and administrative performance.
Khaleej Times
27-05-2025
- Business
- Khaleej Times
GCC: Number of students to grow by 1.5 million over next 5 years, says new report
Student enrolment across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region is set to rise by 1.5 million over the next five years, with total numbers projected to reach 15.5 million by 2029, according to Alpen Capital 's latest GCC Education Industry Report. The report also highlights a steady expansion across all education segments, driven by sustained economic growth, government-led reforms, and rising private sector involvement with the UAE being a case in point. The K-12 segment, which dominates the region's education landscape, is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.1 per cent between 2024 and 2029, reaching 12.9 million students. K–12 refers to the educational system that covers kindergarten through 12th grade. UAE's strong private education sector Private K-12 institutions are forecast to expand slightly faster at a CAGR of 2.3 per cent, compared to public schools, which are projected to grow at 2.0 per cent over the same period. Public schools are expected to continue dominating the K–12 segment, accounting for around 70.8 per cent of total enrolments by 2029—with the UAE being a notable exception due to its strong private education sector. Pre-primary education is expected to register the highest growth, with enrolments increasing at a CAGR of 2.7 per cent, followed by steady growth in the tertiary segment (2.1 per cent), and primary and secondary levels (2.0 per cent and 2.1 per cent, respectively). 'The GCC education sector is undergoing rapid transformation, driven by government-led reforms, increased private sector participation, and accelerating digital innovation,' said Sameena Ahmad, Managing Director of Alpen Capital. 'Demand for private education continues to rise, supported by sustained economic growth, a growing population, rising affluence, and a strong preference for globally recognised curricula. However, institutions are facing pressure from rising operational costs and a shortage of qualified teachers, particularly in an increasingly competitive and quality-conscious market. GCC governments' continued focus on modernising education—through the integration of digital skills and innovative teaching methodologies—is expected to enhance education quality and support long-term outcomes.'
Telegraph
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
Women's cricket is becoming reliant on private schools but never used to be
England's leading private schools are well established as mini academies when it comes to men's cricket and that battle to secure the next generation's most coveted talent has now spread into the women's game. As of October 2024, just 29 per cent of players in the women's professional game came from a private school background, compared with 50 per cent of male cricketers, but further down the pathway the numbers become more skewed towards those from fee-paying establishments 42 per cent at county age group. Of the 19 women's players currently centrally-contracted by England, 12 went to private schools or 63 per cent. The figure for the men's players with a central contract is almost identical, standing at 64 per cent, of those educated in the United Kingdom. But when England Women won the World Cup in front of a sold-out Lord's in 2017, just three of the starting XI had attended a fee-paying school. Three years ago Telegraph Sport revealed that agents, parents and school directors of cricket were offering bespoke scholarships and 110 per cent-off fees to talented players. More recently, those same schools have turned their attention to women's cricket. Private school pathway Directors of cricket from leading private schools have spoken to Telegraph Sport about the rise in the girls' game over the past decade, to the extent that at one school highly-rated players can drop an academic subject to take cricket instead. Bede's in Brighton, which charges full boarders up to £51,075 a year, has a scholarship for players from Barbados, established in conjunction with the Barbados Cricket Association. It is a pathway trodden by the likes of Shai Hope, who now plays for the West Indies men's team, but one of the current scholars is NaiJanni Cumberbatch, who represents women's franchise side Barbados Pride and the West Indies Under-19s. At Bede's, Cumberbatch will play boys' cricket, likely in the second XI, the same team that England international Ryana MacDonald-Gay captained during her time at the school. Students from South Africa have also been in contact with the school, such is its reputation for producing cricketers. 'We've had three girls playing for England at the same time which is quite unique,' Bede's director of cricket, Alan Wells, explains to Telegraph Sport. 'I can't imagine that's happened for any other school. We had Alice Capsey, Freya Kemp and Ryana MacDonald-Gay all playing for England at the same time in the Ashes and it's a rich heritage of girls' cricket that we have here. For those three to be representing England, all coming through our system here, is very special for us obviously.' Cricket might once have been considered a summer sport, but at the majority of these schools it has become a year-round programme, starting at Bede's as early as September. The goal for the schools is not just to perform against others, but establish themselves as pathways for professional cricketers. Eight years ago, Wells started an academy at Bede's, offering cricket lessons instead of a subject, with students selecting the sport as part of their curriculum. 'As long as they're of a certain standard they can choose cricket as part of their timetable and then beyond that going into Years 10 and 11 and GCSE years, in consultation with their parents, if we feel that a young girl cricketer or boy has the potential to have a career, they're on a career pathway, then they can drop a GCSE and do cricket instead,' Wells explains. 'So the better cricketers at the school will be getting up to eight hours of contact time with our coaches here. That gives us the ability to have the contact time with the students that's needed if they're on a career pathway.' Roedean was one of the earliest schools to adopt cricket. The girls' school has played cricket from as early as the 1890s, long before there was any option of a professional career or even women's international cricket. Today it has a wealth of cricketing talent, although not as many scholarships as some of the others, with more given to those from netball, hockey or swimming backgrounds. Mike Smethurst, the school's director of cricket, says: 'We've got girls in county cricket. We've got girls who play for Hampshire and we've got a lot of girls below that who play at club level as well.' The likes of Shrewsbury and Millfield were earlier supporters of women's cricket, with Issy Wong having attended the former, while Sedbergh and Repton, who have won three national titles in the last two years for cricket, have adopted the sport in the last decade. Players join the schools on means-tested bursaries with typical scholarships capped at just 10 per cent of fees, but for exceptional sporting talent, exemptions are common. At Repton, where Martin Speight is the director of cricket, there are a number of boys and girls involved in county cricket. He says: 'There's a lot of academy and even players that are playing county second XI or county first-team cricket now. Someone like Harry Moore, we won't see much of this year because he'll be playing for Derbyshire or England Lions, and I think the girls is moving that way.' Growing elitism in women's game In women's cricket there are still far more players who attended state schools compared with private than in the men's game. Warwickshire for example have just four players out of 15 in the senior squad from fee-paying schools and five of 13 in the academy. The Lancashire Academy is a similar picture, with just three private school attendees of the 13 in their development group. Yet there are a growing number of female players coming through the private schools pathway – and it is easy to see the appeal. Smethurst, who works in the boys' cricket pathway at Sussex explains how boys attending state schools are offered an extra coaching session per week by the county, to try to close the gap with private school students, but it is hard to contend with the eight hours of cricket time some can receive. The facilities at certain schools are enough to make some counties, if not the smaller Test-playing nations, jealous. In fact, Millfield has been used by international travelling sides as a base because of the quality of its facilities. In 2020, Millfield finished a £2.6 million investment in its golf and cricket centres. The cricket one includes five nets, specialist technology and a 4G fielding area – to complement its existing six pitches and eight outdoor nets. Richard Gould, the chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board, has stated his intention and desire for cricket to become the country's most inclusive sport, with the governing body having a clear vision, and an action plan, to do this. The ECB wants to invest millions and train hundreds, partly in association with programmes like ACE, Chance to Shine and the MCC Foundation to introduce and expand cricket in state schools, which may draw more to the game at grass-roots level. However, there is no way for a state school, particularly one in an inner city, to compete on an even playing field against a school like Millfield, say, that has nets specifically designed to replicate the bounce found in Australia and the spin of India. The opportunity to develop skills at one of these elite schools that almost double as academies would be almost impossible for a burgeoning cricketer, or their parents, to turn down.
CNA
26-05-2025
- Business
- CNA
Fewer private university graduates employed, though salaries inch higher: Survey
Fewer graduates from private education institutions got jobs within six months of graduating, marking a decline for the second straight year. Among those who were employed, less than half secured permanent employment, even though median salaries have increased to S$3,500 from S$3,400. This is according to a survey conducted by SkillsFuture Singapore among 3,500 fresh graduates from the cohort of 2024. Able Cheong, Head of Corporation at the Singapore Human Resources Institute, talks about whether employers view degrees from private educational institutions as inferior. He also discusses if employers are more keen to hire those who have completed stackable courses, rather than a private degree.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Despite Recent Increases, British Private Schools Are Still More Affordable Than American Ones
If you want your children to enjoy a top-notch private school education, sending them to the U.K. could be prudent. While top American and British private education is costly for anyone, according to U.K.-based Abbey DLD Group of Colleges, independent schools in Great Britain are slightly more affordable. U.S. private schools range from $20,000 to $45,000 annually, while the U.K. equivalent ranges from £15,000 to £30,000 ($19,500 to $39,000). Don't Miss: Hasbro, MGM, and Skechers trust this AI marketing firm — 'Scrolling To UBI' — Deloitte's #1 fastest-growing software company allows users to earn money on their phones. It's not a perfect science as schools in more expensive areas in the Northeast and California are generally more expensive than elsewhere in the U.S, and those in and around London are pricier than other places in the UK. Elite British private schools like Eton or Harrow charge around £50,000 per year, the BBC says, although the average is around £15,000. The reputation of a school can also be a big factor. The exchange rate between the pound and the dollar also plays a role. Recently, amid the economic tariff uncertainty and inflation, the dollar has dropped, meaning that earnings in pounds may give you more dollars than it once did. That is always liable to change, though. Private school fees in the U.K. have soared by 22.6% in the last year, according to The Independent, bringing the average annual cost to over $22,000. The increase comes on the back of the government's value added tax on private school fees of 20%, introduced on Jan. 1. However, U.S. private school tuition has also gone up, seeing the biggest increase of a decade, according to Bloomberg, with inflation partly to blame. Yearly fees at U.S. day schools are now $49,284, a 7.4 percent increase from last year. Trending: Maker of the $60,000 foldable home has 3 factory buildings, 600+ houses built, and big plans to solve housing — The BBC estimates that the additional tax levied on British private schools will generate £460 million in the 2024 to 2025 financial year, rising to £1. 7 billion by 2029 to 2030. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said 'every single penny' will go to state schools, the BBC reports. This includes funding the recruitment of 6,500 new teachers in England. A legal case has been brought by parents of private school children, the outcome of which has not been decided. The Private Education Policy Forum says that about 5% of British private school students are from overseas, with parents living in the U.K. The increase in school tuition, coupled with the increased cost of living in the U.K. has put a private school education increasingly out of reach for many British parents who no longer choose a private school based on name reputation or have decided not to board their children. 'In the past, you wouldn't choose a school just because it was cheaper; you would go for what you felt was right for your family,' Harry Cobb, a director at the education consultants Bonas MacFarlane, told the Times of London. 'But we have had calls from people looking outside of boarding now because they feel there is more value for money in day schools, despite having to pay for childcare or other costs.'Also, although the top British private schools have traditionally provided the nation's most successful executives and politicians, exam results show that in core subjects, once socio-economic factors are accounted for, state school pupils have closed the gaps on their expensively educated fellow students What might also appeal to American parents who are concerned about the more regimented curriculum that has pervaded the U.S. education system recently is that U.K. private schools, according to the Times, embrace the arts. Statistics show that top-selling musicians are six times more likely to have attended British private schools, while BAFTA-nominated actors have five times the probability of having done so. Read Next: Maximize saving for your retirement and cut down on taxes: . Deloitte's fastest-growing software company partners with Amazon, Walmart & Target – Image: Shutterstock Up Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge's one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today's competitive market. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? APPLE (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report TESLA (TSLA): Free Stock Analysis Report This article Despite Recent Increases, British Private Schools Are Still More Affordable Than American Ones originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Sign in to access your portfolio
