Dubai plans a massive expansion of its educational facilities, with 120 new private schools planned over the next 10 years, according to the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), quoted by the UAE state news agency WAM.

Dr. Abdulla Al Karam, Director-General of KHDA said: “Dubai is a community which thrives on collaboration and it represents an opportunity for everyone. We have seen consistent and strong growth in private education over the years and this has contributed to an improvement in the overall standard of living and long-term economic growth for Dubai.”

KHDA’s latest Dubai Private Education Landscape report illustrates how higher student enrolments have boosted long-term economic growth and the important role of private schooling in Dubai. Student enrolments have grown by 89 percent in the last 10 years and total student enrolments are expected to reach 470,000 students over the next decade.

The report was unveiled by KHDA in London at an event hosted for investors, educators and consultants by the UAE embassy in UK.

Dr. Abdulla added: “By improving access to private education and enabling a wider choice for families we are opening more avenues for high-quality education with a focus on happiness, wellbeing and positive education.”

Dubai currently has 185 private schools with 273,599 students accounting for 88.6 percent capacity utilisation. An additional 10 new schools will open this year providing additional school seats to keep up with the growing demand for high-quality education.

Higher education institutions in Dubai reported a 9.6 percent annual growth in the last six years with a 73 percent uptick in student enrolments.

Dubai is also home to 1,249 training institutes offering over 45,000 courses.