The Potential of investment in K-12 education in Saudi Arabia

The KSA education market offers significant scale potential. It is expected to grow at a CAGR of 11% by 2030^* due to;

• Population growth
• Increased enrollment in Private Schools
• Privatization/ Government initiatives
• Above all, there is a drive for improved quality

Vision 2030 initiatives are supporting private sector participation to increase the current private education enrolment from 17% to 25% in 2030^*. The private K-12 sector expected to grow from $5 billion (USD) to $12.5 billion (USD) by 2030^*.

Local and International investors have been interested in the market but have largely adopted a monitoring strategy until now. Incentivising Initiatives such as the Royal Commission of Riyadh City (RCRC) Super Licence (i.e. incentivize international school brands to enter in Riyadh) greatly enhanced viability for operators, and the number of international schools moving into Saudi is set to rapidly grow.

Engaging in a build-to-suit provides ground-breaking opportunities, given that the first international brands establishing in KSA have opened in refurbished MOE Schools. A focus on quality is also forcing the hand of some existing local operators which creates opportunity for investors in terms of school consolidation/platform growth.

^* Emkan analysis

Why Emkan

To help realise the ambitious potential of Vision 2030 and to further improve education services in Saudi Arabia, Emkan seeks to build on its reputation and experience amongst both public and private sector clients. School brands, investors and property developers seek out Emkan services for our reputation, in-depth market knowledge and our impressive network. Emkan is strongly positioned to support school establishment in Saudi Arabia and to advise and support a range of stakeholders.

Services

Emkan specializes in five key areas offered for School Partnerships & Investments:

• OpCo, PropCo and ManCo investment and acquisitions opportunity identification & advice
• K-12 market analysis, market entry modes, business cases and partnership models
• Educational Land & building advice
• School strategy & educational models
• Investor & (local / regional / international) school operator matching (i.e. from shortlisting & introduction to signing of agreement)
• Implementation plan and school establishment support (e.g. leader & teacher recruitment, marketing branding, teacher training)

Recent Projects

• Royal Commission for Riyadh City: Attracting international school operators (ISO) to set up schools in Riyadh
• Fawaz Al Hokair/Chatsworth Schools: Premium, SEN inclusive, K-12 school establishment with Chatsworth Schools
• SEK: Provided PMO & advisory services to support SEK Riyadh school establishment and opening in Riyadh