69% of private schools in Abu Dhabi are overcrowded

Hamad al-Dhaheri (C) says the quality of education is important More than half of the private schools in Abu Dhabi are overcrowded and the numbers are growing steadily, a senior education official has confirmed. Hamad al-Dhaheri, Executive Director of the Private Schools and Quality Assurance sector (PSQA) at the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) says 69 percent of private schools in Abu Dhabi have more students than permitted, adding that with the annual growth at about five percent, there will be 269,881 students in private schools in 2019-20 academic year.
According to Emirates 247, al-Dhaheri has told authorities that Abu Dhabi needs to create 146,000 new private school places by 2020 by building 100 new schools
ADEC's student forecast means that the current total of 196,769 students in private schools, will increase to 249,178 in 2017-18, 259,460 in 2018-19 and 280,191 in 2020-21.
Al-Dhaheri has claimed that the prime challenge facing the education sector is the provision of more seats in private schools. This is followed by offering quality education.
He added that 53 percent of families considered quality education as a factor for choosing schools compared to tuition fees and that the council is focused on supporting low-income families.