They demanded a time interval between increases and a ban on the collection of “unjustified” fees.

Parents of students call for stopping the increase in tuition fees in Abu Dhabi

“Education and Knowledge” prevents schools from setting fees that would enable them to achieve excessive profits.

Photography: Eric Arrasas

Parents of students in private schools in Abu Dhabi informed "Emirates Today" that the schools sent them forms to reserve seats for the next academic year 2022-2023, and informed them that tuition fees are subject to increase.

Some of them confirmed that they had received notifications from schools to increase tuition fees for the next year by up to 20%, and demanded a halt to the increase in tuition fees for private schools, taking into account the conditions of the students' families.

On the other hand, officials in private schools said that the operational costs of any school in Abu Dhabi are very high and do not depend on teachers' salaries, stressing that schools that are keen on the interests of their students provide them with continuous quality services that refine their knowledge and increase the level of information they have.

In detail, students in private schools in Abu Dhabi confirmed that the schools raise tuition fees almost annually, whether the value of the basic fees, or by collecting unjustified fees by resorting to what they called “back doors” and collecting exaggerated fees under the name of books and school uniforms. and educational services, tests, and other activities, and obligating students’ families to pay them so that the student is not deprived of attendance.

Parents of students in a private school, Muhammad Hilali, Muhammad Saeed, Nadera Hassan, Amani Najib and Sarah Najeh, said that the school increased tuition fees during the current year, despite what the majority of families experienced from the repercussions of “Covid-19”, and did not comply with the calls of the Department of Education and Knowledge. Not to increase the fees, and confirmed that it had obtained the approval of the department to increase it, which ranged between 10 and 15% according to the grade, noting that they were surprised after the beginning of the second semester by a letter from the school about the new tuition fees for the next year, which included a new increase that ranged between 15 and 20% Emphasizing once again that it obtained approval from the department to increase the fees.

The parents of the students of Ahmed Khalil, Samer Al-Samadi, Khawla Ramadan, and Nihad Morcos confirmed that the school informed them that the tuition fees are subject to increase and that they will be informed of the prescribed percentage soon, noting that schools are now raising tuition fees, whether they obtained approval from the competent authorities or not, through various methods. Several, most notably textbooks and uniforms, obliging them to buy them, as I obliged them to buy them this year for an amount ranging between 1000 and 1500 dirhams.

They pointed out that the cost of studying a student in kindergarten or the first cycle in many private schools exceeds the cost of studying a university student, despite the fact that the majority of school teachers receive low salaries, which makes some skeptical that schools are an investment project aimed at profit in the first place without Consider other considerations.

The students stressed the need to return the higher ceiling for the increase and the time factor, which was previously of 30% divided over three years, and the increase can be refused or allowed only a small percentage, noting that they are not aware of the fees set for schools and whether they pay fees approved by the department or in excess of the established This is due to the department not announcing the tuition fees each year, the number of schools that have been allowed to increase, their names, and the amount of the increase, or publishing an annual list of the names of schools and the fees prescribed for them on the department’s website.

On the other hand, officials in private schools, Mahmoud Farid, Nada Sabry, and Laila Ahmed, confirmed that the operational costs of any school in Abu Dhabi are very high, and it does not depend on teachers’ salaries, as many think, but rather includes school buildings built with specific specifications, and administrative staff and professional technicians, security and safety systems, educational support services, training and development programs for teachers, in addition to the infrastructure that allows the provision of a modern e-learning system, and other requirements.

They pointed out that the Department of Education and Knowledge prevents schools from setting fees that enable them to achieve excessive profits, so that the commercial interest prevails over the quality of education.

Also, the issue of fees and their increase from time to time is normal, because all services provided in any field are met with financial fees, and the proportion here between the value of fees and the service provided, stressing that “reputable schools strive as much as possible to preserve their reputation and their educational system, Therefore, it is most eager to abide by the department’s laws and educational regulations, while maintaining the level of satisfaction of students’ parents to ensure that its image and credibility are preserved.”

They stressed that there are schools where parents race to register their children in them, and mediate intermediaries to ensure that their children are registered among their students, and to reserve a study seat in their classes, which reflects the quality of schools and their educational services on the one hand and the students’ families’ keenness to search for distinctive schools for their children on the other hand, noting that the seats are School education has become more than the number of students, which has contributed to creating a great competition between schools, and this competition has a positive impact on the high quality of education and the lack of exaggeration in tuition fees.

While the Department of Education and Knowledge studies schools’ requests to increase fees and evaluates them based on an approved measurement matrix based on several evaluation criteria, in the light of which the overall increase percentage of the request is calculated according to the total number of points the request gets in each of the five basic criteria, which focus on Main on the school’s performance in improvement reports, the percentage of investment in teaching, technical and administrative cadres in terms of salaries and professional development, the percentage of teacher retention and the percentage of investment in buildings and mechanisms, in addition to the percentage of registered students of people of determination and the percentage of employees who are citizens of the United Arab Emirates, whether in administrative bodies or Teaching, to set the balance between preserving the rights of investors (school owners) and the rights of students’ families.

Students with:

• "Schools raise fees annually...whether by increasing the basic value or through services."

Private schools:

• "The operational costs of any school are very high...and do not depend on teachers' salaries."

4 Aspects of Tuition Fee Assessment

The Department of Education and Knowledge confirmed that it takes into account four basic aspects when evaluating school fees, including:

■ Provide the necessary information in full, including the submission of a complete financial study using the financial form issued by the department for this purpose.

■ Compare school fees with fees of schools of comparable quality and similar curricula, taking into account the assessment of the school's overall effectiveness in the latest evaluation report.

■ The cost of school facilities and services.

■ Ensure that fees are not set that enable the school to achieve excessive profits, so that the commercial interest prevails over the quality of education.

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