The conversation happens in every Malayali household in the Gulf around March. School fee circulars arrive, and the numbers have gone up again. Not by a lot. Just enough to sting.
For a family with two children in a mid-range CBSE school in Dubai, annual school fees now run AED 20,000-35,000 per child. Add uniforms, books, transport, and activity fees, and the total per child crosses AED 25,000-40,000. For families earning AED 10,000-15,000 per month, education costs consume a quarter to a third of household income.
The options families are using:
Switching to Sharjah or Ajman schools: Fees are typically 30-40% lower than equivalent Dubai schools. The trade-off is commute time, which for children can mean waking up at 5:30 AM. Some families make this work; others find the commute too draining for young kids.
Kerala board schools via online or returning the family: A growing number of Gulf Malayalis are sending their families back to Kerala for education, with the father staying in the Gulf to earn. This has obvious emotional costs but the financial math is compelling: a good CBSE school in Kochi costs Rs 60,000-100,000 per year — a fraction of Gulf fees.
Scholarship hunting: KHDA-regulated schools in Dubai are required to offer merit-based fee reductions. Many Malayali parents do not know this or do not apply. Check with your school’s administration. The worst they can say is no.
The deeper issue is that Gulf salaries for mid-level workers have not kept pace with the cost of living, especially education. This squeeze is real, and it is one of the factors driving the gradual shift of Malayali families back to Kerala. Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing depends entirely on your circumstances.