Schools in the UAE said they were confident of bouncing back from the economic effect of the pandemic after investing heavily to meet Covid-19 safety regulations. School leaders told how tens of thousand of dirhams were spent to ensure premises were able to safely welcome back pupils at the start of the academic year. Fiona Cottam, principal of Hartland International School in Dubai, said coronavirus had proved "incredibly challenging" for all industries, including the education sector. The school, which caters for pupils from ages 3 to 18, spent close to Dh100,000 to set up a medical room and increase sanitisation measures to meet guidelines required to reopen. This was aside from additional salaries of a doctor and cleaners because areas at the school that had to be cleaned on a daily basis now required hourly cleaning. Ms Cottam said the school lost close to 100 pupils during the pandemic but had enrolled 150 children this year, many from new families moving to the UAE. “These are incredibly challenging times for all industries and education is no exception," Ms Cottam said. “We have certainly lost children whose parents lost jobs and left the country.” Ms Cottam said the investment affected the school’s budget. “This have been very costly for schools and we had to spend a considerable amount of money to put in the safety measures required. "When you add it all up, you say 'Gosh it costs a lot of money to do that'. But, we are glad we have been able to bring everyone back to school." The school restructured its fees, which helped it to attract pupils. Hartland International School reduced its fees by up to Dh15,000 this year. The fee for Year 1 pupils has been reduced from Dh65,000 in 2019 to Dh49,800 this year. The school cut costs to make up for additional expenses. Lifeguards were redeployed and helped with cleaning after swimming pools were closed. Alan Williamson, chief executive officer at Taaleem, Dubai's second largest school operator, said enrolment numbers were not under stress at their schools, although he admitted there were challenges. He said schools faced increased costs because of the need for additional sanitation, cleaners and security, protective and camera equipment, plus the salaries of extra staff and doctors. About 800 new pupils joined primary sections at Taaleem schools in 2020 with many moving from other institutions in the country. "For certain some school groups in Dubai and in Abu Dhabi are struggling as a result of the pressures of increased regulation on budgets and the impact of the economy on parents," Mr Williamson said. "Schools do face challenges in relation to pressure from regulators in Abu Dhabi and Dubai about ensuring our schools are safe." Sally Jeffery, Middle East education leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers, a global consulting firm, said schools had been affected by the public health crisis. “For sure, schools are struggling, and we are advising many of these institutions," she said. "Premium sector schools are still hit the hardest." She said some schools had very strong brands and could dip into their waiting lists but others were pressed to enrol pupils. “Enrolment numbers are under stress," she said. Ms Jeffery said many parents had not had salary increases or lost jobs or had to resign because they had to educate children at home. The disposable income for education had declined because of the pandemic, putting pressure on high fee-paying schools. Ms Jeffery said schools needed to offer financial payment plans, if they did not want pupils moving from expensive to more affordable schools.
