Dubai holds its inspection pause — and the ratings that set fees

The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) has continued its pause on full private-school inspections into 2025-26, running targeted quality visits that do not produce a new overall rating. Schools keep their previous ratings — and because those ratings are tied to the fee bands a school may charge, the freeze reaches well beyond the inspection report.

For 2025-26 the Education Cost Index, the ceiling on what most eligible schools could add, was set at 2.35%. KHDA has also published updated School Fee Fact Sheets so families can see each school’s approved fees for the year ahead.

A split verdict

Supporters argue the pause gives schools room for self-evaluation and gives families predictable costs. Critics counter that frozen ratings leave parents choosing among the emirate’s 380,000-plus private-school places on quality judgements that are now several years old — a trade-off other regulators watching Dubai will be weighing too.

Sources

SchoolsCompared — KHDA inspections and fees split UAE parents · KHDA — Knowledge and Human Development Authority