Parents of students in private schools in the emirate of Dubai have informed Emirates Today that they have received e-mails from their children's schools informing them of an extra 20% increase in school fees over three years in some schools. About 7% increase each year, stressing that schools surprised them with this increase before the start of the new school year, did not inform them that they applied to the Knowledge and Human Development Authority in Dubai to apply for this increase.
The Commission stated that any school has the right to request an increase in school fees based on the fair rate of return (exceptional increase), under six conditions, the school must achieve.
In detail, the mother of two students, Heba Hossam El-Din, said: `` We visited the school one week before the start of the school year, after the return of administrative, technical and teaching bodies on August 25, and paid the first installment of school fees, and two days before the start of the school year, On September 1, the school administration surprised us with an e-mail asking us to go to the accounts department to pay the rest of the first installment, because the fees increased by 7%. ”
"The school administration informed us that it published the new fees on its website, as soon as they were received from the Knowledge and Human Development Authority," she said, adding that it was necessary for the school to inform parents of its intention to apply for the increase, according to the "fair rate of return". Present it, so they can determine the fate of their children between continuing to the same school or researching and moving to another school.
“On the first day of the school year, when I accompanied my daughter to school, the principal told me to increase the fees by 20%, divided over three years, so every parent is obliged to pay the increase,” said the father of a ninth-grade student, Abdulhamid Sabri. He paid the first installment of the current school fees », pointing out that he continued with the Knowledge and Human Development Authority, to find out the right of the school to get this increase, he was informed that it is an exceptional increase for some schools, get them on certain conditions, and approved the requests of six private schools in Emirate of Dubai, to get this increase.
A guardian of a student, Aida Al-Hawari, called on the Knowledge and School Authority to clarify the reasons and criteria for her son's school to receive this increase.
She stressed that the adoption of an extraordinary increase of the school means additional financial fatigue for families, and carrying additional burdens that were not in their accounts. The additional financial burden, or the search for another school, and making it more difficult the second option that the school year began, and it became impossible to have a seat in a school to move to, especially in schools with high tuition fees ».
For its part, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority in Dubai, said that the framework of the control of school fees, adopted by the Executive Council of the Emirate of Dubai, recently, six conditions for the approval of the request to increase school fees for any school applying for this increase under the «fair rate of return »The student's average intensity of the school must not be less than 80%, and the basic salary of teachers directly appointed by the school should be equal to or greater than 25% of the total expenses. School, the school must appoint a knock company The school's rate of return must be less than the limit stated in the table above for the last two fiscal years.If the school obtains approval to increase school fees under the fair rate of return, it cannot receive any increase or An amendment to the school fees during the next 12 months, and until the application of all the increases granted to school fees for a full academic year.
Adjust school fees
According to the Dubai Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), in accordance with the Executive Council's decision to replace the “exceptions” clause of the 2012 school fees control framework, requests to increase school fees are considered according to the “fair return rate” measurement, as assessed by the school. The school has a “good” rating that is entitled to a 10% increase in its fees, if it is “very good” it gets 9.5%, and if it is “good”, it is entitled to a 9% increase. The school's assessment is “acceptable” and is entitled to an increase of 8% “P” and “Very Poor” get an increase of 7%.
- «Knowledge» sets 6 conditions for obtaining a fee increase based on fair rate of return.