Students at private schools in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, Emirates Today, reported that their children's schools are charging higher tuition fees than published on the official website of the Department of Education and Knowledge, which was recently launched and linked to the Abu Dhabi Government Services Center (TAM), in rates ranging from 10 And 20%, pointing out that schools told them that the Department, agreed to increase the tuition fees this year, while the Department did not comment on the complaints of parents, or announce its approval to private schools to increase tuition fees.
“I went to pay the tuition fees at the school and I was surprised that the fees were higher than announced by the Department of Education and Knowledge,” said Ahmed Saleh, the parent of two students at a British curriculum school in Abu Dhabi. And that the school got the approval of the Department to increase », pointing out that he was chosen between the payment of fees in accordance with the planned increase, or not to register his children in the new school year.
He pointed out that he went to register his child in kindergarten in a private school in Abu Dhabi, after reviewing the location of the Department, and chose a school near his home, and fees commensurate with his income, but he was surprised, when recording that the fees are about 20% higher than the announced He pointed out that he reviewed more than one school and the fees were higher than announced by the Department.
The guardian of a student at a private school in Al Ain, Maha Sameh, that the fees paid to her son registered in the third grade, higher than the maximum fees for the school announced by the Department, noting that the Department set the school fees from 23 to 25 thousand dirhams, according to grade In addition, 26,000 dirhams were paid for the third grade.
The guardian of two kindergarten students, and the second grade, Iman Ahmed, said that the tuition fees for her children's school, posted on the Department's website, amounted to 14,120 dirhams for kindergartens and 17,900 dirhams for the second grade, while the school informed them that the fees had risen and became 20,000 for kindergartens. And 26 thousand and 500 dirhams for the second grade, pointing out that they had to pay after the school confirmed that it obtained approval from the Department of Education and Knowledge to increase tuition fees.
Parents of students reiterated their complaint about paying higher tuition fees than they had announced and that they were not confident of a decision by the Department to increase school fees, especially since they did not announce it, and the advertiser on its part differs, not simple, from what is actually collected, pointing out that The fees they paid do not include the value of textbooks, school uniforms, or transportation if they participate in the school bus.
On the other hand, Emirates Today contacted the Department of Education and Knowledge to ask about the fact that the fees announced on its website match the fees collected by schools, the reason for not publishing the new fees, if the school claims to obtain their approval to increase the fees are true, and how many private schools have submitted applications. To increase fees this year, how many schools have been approved to increase fees, but they have not been able to get a refund.
The Department of Education and Knowledge, in the Guide to the policies of private schools and guidelines need to obtain the approval of the school on the school fees, schedules for payment, and payment procedures, before announcing them to parents, and before proceeding to collect them, and new schools or branches must include school fees In applying for a temporary school license, these fees are subject to the Department's approval.
She pointed out that she verifies that the schools comply with the fee model and provide all the required information.On the basis of this information, the Department approves or rejects the proposed school fees.The Department has prohibited the school from collecting any fees from parents that exceed the fees it agreed before the start of the school year.
Criteria for increasing fees
The Department of Education and Knowledge has identified five basic criteria under which a number of sub-criteria for increasing tuition fees are based, mainly in the performance of the school in the reports of "Irtiqaa", and the proportion of investment in teaching, technical and administrative staff, in terms of salaries and professional development and retention rate of teachers, and the proportion of investment in The building and the mechanisms, in addition to the percentage of students enrolled in the field of motivation, and the percentage of employees who are UAE nationals, whether in administrative or teaching bodies.
The Department noted that the conditions for the school to apply for approval to increase its school fees, including, for example, the completion of the financial model to increase the fees of the Department, and provide audited financial statements for the time limits that are set, and to demonstrate the evolution in the overall effectiveness of the school, and the completion of plans The development of the school, the professional development program based on the results of the general inspection and evaluation, and the provision of evidence on the investment made to achieve development in the school, the absence of irregularities or warnings issued against the school, the validity of the school license, and an increase in the salaries of employees in the school. Rissah.