Education

Taaleem plans new schools in Dubai and Abu Dhabi

January 10, 2025, 4:26 PM

Students at Harrow in the UK. Taaleem's two 'super-premium' schools will be run in partnership with Harrow — Students at Harrow in the UK. Taaleem's two 'super premium' schools will be run in partnership with Harrow

Taaleem working with UK’s Harrow
Fees could reach $22,000/year
UAE seeking 100 new schools

Taaleem has revealed plans to add two “super premium” schools to its portfolio in 2026 as it takes advantage of the increasing number of high-net-worth individuals moving to the UAE.

The Dubai-based company has secured a plot of land in the emirate for one of the schools and is “in the process of acquiring another prestige location” for a proposed campus in Abu Dhabi, according to Taaleem CEO Alan Williamson.

Known as a premium school provider, this will be Taaleem’s first foray into the super premium segment in partnership with the UK’s Harrow School, following an agreement signed in July last year.

Super premium schools are generally considered to be in the top bracket of quality and education. This is reflected in the high fees they often charge.

It is believed that Harrow School Abu Dhabi will be located on Saadiyat Island. It is also understood – though not yet confirmed – that the Dubai Harrow School will be built on Hessa Street, subject to pending regulatory approvals.

Williamson said the schools would be “targeting a niche audience seeking ultra-high-quality education”.

Harrow School was established in 1572 under a Royal Charter granted by Queen Elizabeth I. Among the illustrious Harrow alumni are Lord Byron, Winston Churchill, Jawaharlal Nehru, King Hussein of Jordan and seven British prime ministers.

Super-premium schools in Dubai, which command annual fees upwards of AED80,000 ($22,000), include North London Collegiate, Royal Grammar School and Repton School.

In the UK, Harrow’s school fee for the academic year 2024-25 is £20,528 ($25,000) per term (inclusive of VAT) and includes board, tuition, textbooks, a stationery allowance and laundry.

The launch of super-premium schools comes as the number of billionaires in the UAE increased in the last year: 48 billionaires lived in the country in 2023, with a combined wealth of $205 billion.

In its latest financial results for the first quarter of 2024-25, released on Friday, Taaleem reported that it had expanded its premium school portfolio to 12 schools, increasing the segment’s capacity by 4,718 pupils year on year. Enrolment in premium schools also rose by almost 19 percent over the three-month period.

Taaleem currently operates 34 schools in total across the UAE.

The Dubai Financial Market-listed company announced AED306 million in operating revenue in Q1, up nearly 15 percent year on year, while net profit increased almost 50 percent on last year to just over AED68 million.

According to analyst IndustryArc, the Mena education sector is forecast to be worth $175 billion by 2027.

Dubai’s education regulator the Knowledge and Human Development Authority this week revealed that student enrolment for the current academic year increased by 6 percent, reaching more than 387,000 students across 227 private schools.

Ten new schools were added in the emirate this year and the Knowledge and Human Development Authority is looking to add a further 100 new private schools by 2033. Industry experts have warned of an impending teacher shortage, with the UAE alone requiring 30,000 more teachers by 2030.