Dubai School Pays Damages for 'Negligent Teaching'

A father has successfully sued a private school in Dubai for an alleged failure by the school to educate his son to an acceptable level.

In a judgement that will be closely examined by all private schools in the UAE the father was awarded 77,000 AED in compensation for two years' registration fees.  The award also recognised the emotional distress that had been caused to the family by the school's negligence.

The school had permitted the boy to graduate from the first to the second grade in spite of the weak grades that he had secured.  

The case was initially rejected by a civil court but was upheld by the Dubai Court of Appeal.  It followed evidence submitted to the court by an independent education expert which suggested that the school was responsible for the low grades achieved by the child.