Unpacking the headlines: KHDA will resume quality insurance visits for the 2026-27 academic year

Who are the KHDA? The Knowledge and Human Development Authority is the government body that regulates and oversees private education in Dubai. They are committed to making Dubai education world-class through a focus on quality, access and engagement. Who are they responsible for? The KHDA oversees all Dubai private schools, early childhood centres and nurseries, universities and higher education institutions, training institutes and professional education providers. The Ministry of Education is responsible for UAE education at the national level. What is a KHDA quality assurance visit? The Dubai Schools Inspection Board (DSIB) regularly send teams of experts into schools to ensure that they are adhering to the KHDA’s education regulations, and to assess the quality of education being delivered. Each year they announce the focus and schedule of upcoming inspections. What is a KHDA rating? The DSIB publishes the findings of their private school visits in an inspection report. Schools are graded on focus areas and are given an overall rating; Weak, Acceptable, Good, Very Good, or Outstanding. The report will also comment on the schools’ specific strengths and recommended areas of improvement.   How do inspections help parents? Schools will often use high KHDA ratings in their marketing campaigns. These reassure parents that the quality of education, safety and pastoral care provided by a school has been independently evaluated and found to be of high quality. What’s not in a KHDA report? DSIB inspections have certain areas of focus, i.e. leadership and management, wellbeing, health and safety, Arabic, and Islamic studies. They will not provide feedback on all areas or subjects offered at the school i.e. sports, arts, history. It is therefore important parents to read inspection reports in light of their own priorities, and for them to refer to other information sources. What else to keep in mind? New schools will not have a formal inspection or rating until their third year of operation with ‘Good’ widely considered the highest possible first rating. Inspections have not been as frequent in recent years, meaning that some schools may be quite different from their last inspection. What do the latest changes mean for parents? In 2026/27 Dubai private schools will receive one of two types of visits. The first, a full quality assurance visit resulting in an inspection report and overall school rating. This will include all schools in their third year. The second type of visit will target specific areas of school performance and improvement with no new rating issued. For both types of visit, only 24 hours notice will be given, in an attempt to really capture the everyday operations of a school. Parents can therefore look forward to receiving updated reports and ratings for several schools, and a first look at some of Dubai’s newer schools.

What other services do the KHDA provide? KHDA offer a number of services to support parents including verifying certificates and qualifications, providing lists and data of private education providers, and handling complaints and disputes. During enrolment at a new school, you will complete KHDA registration and the signing of a parent-school contract. KHDA also make important announcements throughout the year regarding term dates, public holidays, rain dates etc.

Where can I find more information? You can find a full list of KHDA services as well as a full list of Dubai schools and their previous inspection reports at https://web.khda.gov.ae/