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Double rate hike has been initiated in Dubai, and parents are either accepting the hike in fee or a different education. While others are accepting hikes of up to Dh5,000 a year per pupil, others are accepting small hikes of handful of hundreds of dirhams. With fees increasing on all fronts, there are many parents struggling to keep up, from paying an up-front fee of a year's fee to price comparison at budget schools.

In May 2025, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) of Dubai approved a 2.35% Education Cost Index (ECI) increase for private for-profit schools for 2025-2026. This move enables the schools to revise their fees according to individual school grades based on the performance of the Dubai School Inspection Bureau (DSIB) and the ECI. The move affects families in Dubai, who have begun receiving communications for the fee hike.

The hike is only one of a wide array of across-the-board measures to counteract inflation, operating cost increases, and other cost pressures that plague schools. While record increases are being awarded to some parents, others are being provided relief at small increases.

Economic reality has already got most parents struggling to keep up with fee increases on the issue, anyway. Take the case of Dubai resident Manal, whose kids study in an Indian syllabus school at Al Quoz. "The overall increase in the fee of my kids will be Dh400 annually," she also stated. "I am more than relieved that the increase is not a humongous sum and something which all of us can gulp down," Manal also added. "We had anticipated a hike this year and hence we were not surprised," commented Khaleej Times.

Others are experiencing much bigger rises. There are some families who are experiencing much bigger hikes. Vivek, an Indian expatriate with two kids in a high school, told us that the school fees for his kids now cost between Dh87,000 and Dh92,000 annually. The second hike will be Dh10,000 each for both the kids annually. "But my school charges one year's school fee in advance," Vivek explained. "This has deprived me of a bulk discount and hence total fee hike for me has been about Dh3,000 each year for the two children."

Even mothers like German expatriate Greta, whose three children are enrolled at a British syllabus school in Jumeirah, are not exempted. "I got the letter last Wednesday that my school rate increases by Dh2,000 a year a child," Greta said. "Gobsmackingly Dh6,000 a year in school fees. And don't even get me started on the books, the uniform, and the rest of the course material." Greta goes on to say that she can even think about switching schools because her eldest will be repeating Year 11 next year. She and her husband are reducing, though, by reducing some of their school-related costs in an attempt to offset the additional cost. The increasing demand for the cheaper alternatives

Others find hikes to be too costly to swallow, and so are already considering sending their kids to cheaper schools. Mohammed Iqbal, who sends his kids to a school that imparts the British curriculum in Qusais, was relieved in that his school hike was relatively modest, Dh1,200 annually. "I was kind of expecting more than that, so I am completely over the moon," he said.

Or mother R.M., whose children attend another British syllabus school, has also noticed fees increasing in the past two years.

"Last year their fees increased by 4.55%, and this year their fees increased by 2.35%," said R.M. "Of course, there is a time when it costs to do business but costing the parents too because, by the way, unfortunately, the salary does not rise that quickly as the cost. I went shopping around schools the very minute I learned of the fee hike, then fell back behind feeling stuck because it would have issues too. So we remained with the one we are already in." Umm Mohammed, Dubai parent, shifted her child to a less costly school prior to the announcement of the fee hike.

"We were already paying over Dh55,000 a year in school fees at our previous school," she explained. "It was already as much as we could afford. So we'd made that choice last year and transferred her to another school. Now we pay Dh30,000 with fees, uniform, and books." We all heaved a sigh of relief when school fee news broke. At my previous school, it would have been very tough for us to afford such a fee increase. Now the increase is merely Dh1,000 a year. It is completely fine with us. It was the correct decision to relocate her, I believe," she said. The Bigger Picture: Dubai's Expanding Private School Market

The private sector of education in Dubai has been on boom, recording 12% growth among students during the financial year 2023-2024. Out of the latest available statistics, Dubai now has 227 private schools with 387,441 students from 185 countries. Student number growth may have contributed to demand for the increasing need for private education and the subsequent increased fees.

While there have been issues, there are also decent-sized numbers of parents who feel there is value in the Dubai private school system and some schools actually provide some flexibility in payment terms to soften the cost burden. The variation of school programs, ranging from international curricula to specialist courses, also provides parents with improved alternatives, even if frugality is an issue in this situation.

IIT Kharagpur has set a significant benchmark with the continuous placement season 2024-25 as it received more than 1,800 job offers comprising 409 Pre-Placement Offers (PPOs) and 25 international offers. This fact remains true even with an internationally challenging job scenario, confirming the robust reputation of the institute with industries.

The season kicked off on a high, with over 800 offers extended in the first two days alone.

By Day 3, the figure had reached beyond 1,000, reflecting robust demand for institute alumni in different sectors. Remarkably, nine students have been offered packages above 1 crore, with the highest reaching 2.14 crore per annum.

These headhunting offers were from leading multinational companies and indicated robust employer confidence in the quality of training, innovation culture, and students at the institute.

Professor Rajib Maity, Career Development Centre Chairperson, said, "The outcomes are a testament to our teamwork and support specific to ensuring that students achieve their potential. Our readiness and resilience focus is enabling graduates to land purposeful jobs."

Over 400 companies have taken part in the ongoing placement drive thus far, including students in software, analytics, finance, consulting, core engineering, and other functions.

The institute extended its appreciation to all recruiters for their persistent faith and interest in more extensive future cooperation.

Professor Amit Patra, IIT Kharagpur Director, referred to the record-high number of offers as a milestone. "As technology advances, we are enriching our curriculum to lead the way. Our inter-disciplinary approach, powerful alumni base, and hands-on training make students industry-ready leaders," he maintained.

IIT Kharagpur with its academic excellence remains a recruiters' as well as students' first choice.

Its success in placing highlights not just robust institutional leadership but also the growing pertinence of its programmes in an ever-changing job market.

Indian students accounted for 27% of the entire foreign students in the US in 2024, up a 11.8% from last year, as per the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Student and Exchange Visitor Program's latest annual report.

The previous week report mentioned that 4,22,335 Indian students were enrolled in US schools in 2024 and were part of a total of 1.58 million international students — a 5.3% increase from 2023.

It also mentioned that 1,65,524 international students took part in the post-completion STEM OPT extension program, India (48%) and China (20.4%) contributing to the largest percentages.

While India saw more than 11% growth in students, China (3,29,541 students) saw a paltry 0.25% decline from 2023. India's 27% market share of the overall foreign student base is higher than China's 20%. 

ASIA DOMINATES FOREIGN STUDENT POPULATION IN US

Asia topped the list of active foreign student records in America with 11,34,953 foreign students constituting 71.7% of the foreign students in the US, as per the ICE report. 

Nearly 91% of all foreign students were enrolled for an SEVP-approved associate, bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree.

Specifically, US international students gained 14,34,748 higher education qualifications, up by nearly 82,000 from calendar year 2023. Bachelor or master's degrees were most popular, accounting for 79% of higher education qualifications.

Indian students surpassed Chinese students in the US for the first time in 15 years for the 2023-24 academic year, according to an Open Doors 2024 report, published in November last year.

Indian students now form a large percentage of foreign students in the majority of Western countries and are among the top contributors to the US international student population.

The same is the trend in Germany, as reported in recent statistics published by the Academic Exchange Service in September 2024. 49,483 students from India applied to pursue the 2023-24 winter semester in Germany, an increase of 15.1% over the previous year, and became Germany's largest foreign student community, surpassing China.

As a communication professional, I am consistently amazed at the potency of voice—the ability of words well-spoken to alter perceptions, establish bonds, and alter the course of history. No place is this legacy more starkly represented than in the just-restored School of Heralds at the Roman Forum. This venerable institution, buried for centuries under dust and time, has now been carefully excavated and reopened, not only as an archaeological phenomenon, but as a living testament to the advanced communication machinery of the Roman Empire.

Well before microphones and social media, ancient Rome understood that the spoken word was the key to public trust and imperial unity. The heralds—Rome's professional public announcers—were more than messengers. They were the Empire's initial "media professionals," employing vocal skill and rhetorical art to educate, persuade, and incite the masses. Their function was at the heart of civic life, ranging from the communication of imperial decrees to the announcements of the spectacle of impending games. Their voices resonated off marble colonnades and crowded plazas, unifying a enormous and varied populace in shared information and experience.

What makes this rediscovery so compelling is the way that it lays bare the origins of professional communication training. These heralds didn't merely bellow from rooftops—they learned. In the Forum's school for heralds, specially chosen trainees with good voices went through demanding training in voice mastery, articulation, projection, and argumentative delivery. Picture cobblestone courtyards where voices were honed to the breeze, and dark echoing rooms where speechmasters honed methods that would influence public response. This was not theatre; it was statecraft. The very design of the training facility—curated for acoustics and performance—reflected the empire's profound investment in clarity, control, and connection.

In today's world of messaging, with communications crafted for clicks and trends that shift hourly, this ancient proving ground recalls for us the timeless values of our profession. Authority, clarity, engagement—these are not innovations, but always-familiar foundations of human communication. Roman heralds learned their craft not in likes and shares, but in breath and cadence and conviction. Their authority was not in technology, but in training.

The reopening of the Heralds’ School is not merely a celebration of Rome’s architectural genius—it is a recognition of communication as a foundational pillar of civilization. It reaffirms the role of the communicator as a bridge between leadership and public, policy and perception. The fact that the Roman Empire, with its expansive governance and complex society, prioritized a formal space for training public speakers speaks volumes. Here, within these ancient halls, we discover the birthplace of everything from journalism to political speechwriting, from crisis communication to community outreach.

Standing here today, surrounded by those stone walls, you don't merely sense history—you hear it. In the resonance of those formerly rehearsed assertions, there is a whisper of our own contemporary struggles, and a reminder: good communication doesn't merely inform. It inspires, unites, and lasts.

And maybe, in that abiding Echoes of Empire, we catch the strongest message of all.

As the Trump administration continues its crusade against US colleges and universities, the president has signed a foreign student visa ban on Harvard University.

Donald Trump has signed into a position a six month visa ban on foreign student visas for Harvard University in the middle of its feud. Additionally, the Trump administration has also targeted Columbia University and made a threat to de-accredit the fellow Ivy league school. 

These are part of the Trump administration's overall crackdown on DEI-related programs in universities and the response to the pro-Palestinian demonstrations that engulfed US campuses last year.

Trump regime targets education systems in higher institutions

Harvard and Columbia having been in the limelight, the US Education Department has launched more than 104 probes into universities and colleges all over the 50 states.

According to an Education Week report, the Department of Education has launched at least 104 probes into universities, school districts and colleges through June 3.

Out of this, 70 have been targeting higher education institutions like Harvard, Columbia, Brown University and others. These 70 names also consist of the out-of-state campuses of universities.

According to the report of Education Week, 52 universities have been targeted for the DEI-initiatives, which Trump claims has been promoting race-based admissions. The others have been targeted due to involvement in the 2024 pro-Palestinian protests.

Colleges and universities all over the US have been targeted for some reasons identified by the Trump administration including antisemitism, race based programming, student disability services and disclosure of foreign contracts and gifts.

Colleges and universities have also been targeted because of their transgender policy for students, which according to the Trump administration, is in contradiction to the president's executive order which only identifies two genders.

Universities like Harvard, Columbia, Brown, Cornell, Northwestern, Pennsylvania and Princeton are among the list of higher education systems that the Trump administration has its eyes on.

List of universities in Trump admin's crosshairs

Columbia University

Northwestern University

Portland State University

University of California, Berkeley

University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

American University

University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Yale University

Scripps College

University of Washington

Arizona State University

Boise State University

Cal Poly Humboldt

California State University - San Bernardino

Carnegie Mellon University

Clemson University

Cornell University

Duke University

Emory University

George Mason University

Georgetown University

Grand Valley State University

Ithaca College

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Montana State University - Bozeman

New England College of Optometry

New York University

Ohio State University

Rice University

Rutgers University

Towson University

Tulane University

University of Alabama at Birmingham

University of Arkansas - Fayetteville

University of Chicago

University of Cincinnatti

University of Colorado - Colorado Springs

University of Delaware

University of Kansas

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

University of Nebraska at Omaha

University of New Mexico

University of North Dakota

University of North Texas - Denton

University of Notre Dame

University of Nevada - Las Vegas

University of Oklahoma, Tulsa School of Community Medicine

University of Oregon

University of Rhode Island

University of South Florida

University of Utah

University of Washington - Seattle

University of Wisconsin - Madison

University of Wyoming

Vanderbilt University

Washington State University

Washington University in St. Louis

Harvard University

San Jose State University

University of Pennsylvania

University of Maryland

Wagner College

Western Carolina University

Harvard College

The newly formed Delhi government has disbursed a grant-in-aid of Rs 417 crore to 12 government-funded Delhi University colleges. The money is to help the colleges deal with financial crises, including paying staff on time and daily expenditure.

The following colleges will be given this award: Acharya Narendra Dev College, Aditi Mahavidyalaya, Bhagini Nivedita College, Bhaskaracharya College, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College, Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar College, Indira Gandhi Institute of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, and Kesh and Shaheed Sukhdev.

Replying to a media conference, Education Minister Ashish Sood said, "The last government did not provide grants to DU where students of middle class are enrolled. But we have provided the fund on April 1."

As a part of education revolution, the Delhi government would establish 75 CM Shri Schools and data science classes and Rs 100 crore has been provided to the scheme in the special budget.

Best-of-breed such as AR/VR, and data science will be provided in the schools with the best technology to offer quality education to the students on par with private schools.

Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Language Labs will also be set up in 100 to study foreign languages like English, French, and German. 250 government schools will also have digital libraries to provide learning content.

Apart from that, over 1,300 students studying in colleges have been awarded scholarships under a special scheme run by the Delhi government in a bid to offer financial help to economically weaker students.

The Scheme was launched by the Directorate of Higher Education with the aim of rendering assistance to deserving students so that they are able to study free of cost. Sood emphasized expenditure on students so that their development becomes a national movement.

According to CM Digital Education Scheme, 1,200 students were provided with laptops to study digitally easily. Government also initiated free coaching for entrance tests like JEE, NEET, and CUET so that equal opportunity is afforded to all.