Gulf Insider, 11 November 2024: Private schools in Abu Dhabi are not permitted to raise tuition fees by more than 15% even in exceptional circumstances, and they must meet specific conditions before seeking approval for such an extraordinary increase.

These rules are part of the new education policy recently issued by the Department of Education and Knowledge – Abu Dhabi (ADEK).

ADEK has set the cap for exceptional tuition fee increases based on Abu Dhabi’s Education Cost Index.

To qualify for an exceptional fee increase, schools must demonstrate financial losses over the past two years and provide audited financial statements for this period.

Additionally, they must have been in operation for at least three years, hold a valid licence, and maintain an occupancy rate of at least 80%.

If approved, schools are limited to one exceptional fee increase per academic year.

The Department has emphasised its right to reject any request for fee increases, underscoring that tuition fees should be collected in at least three instalments, going up to ten instalments throughout the academic year.

According to the new policy, schools may collect the first instalment a month before the start of the academic year.

They are also authorised to charge a registration fee of up to 5% of the approved tuition fee, which can be collected from enrolled students up to four months before the academic year begins, and must be deducted from the student’s final tuition fees.

Schools are prohibited from requesting or accepting any financial guarantees from parents as a substitute for tuition payments, and they cannot request a pre-deposit, initial application, or first-time registration fee from parents before the student is enrolled.

The new policy requires schools to itemise tuition fees into six components: tuition fees, educational resource fees, uniform fees, transportation fees, extra-curricular activity fees, and other fees.

These components must be disclosed to parents during registration.

Schools are also allowed to charge administrative fees for board exams, provided they are clearly justified and disclosed on the school’s website.

Embassy-affiliated private schools can apply for an exceptional fee increase, subject to requirements such as justifying the increase, obtaining approval from the school’s Board of Trustees, and providing consent from the relevant embassy or consulate, if applicable. Schools must post detailed tuition payment schedules on their websites and may enter agreements with parents regarding compliance to these schedules.

Under normal circumstances, schools are only allowed to increase fees according to their rating in school inspections, called Irtiqaa, in conjunction with the Education Cost Index (ECI).

The maximum fee increase allowed varies based on the school’s rating, with ‘outstanding’ schools having the highest cap of 3.94% and ‘very weak’ schools limited to a maximum of 2.25%.

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