'Fees' and 'Admin' Top Complaints - KHDA

Disputes about school fees and school administration were the two most common complaints by parents received by Dubai regulator, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), according to local media reports.  Other areas of concern included pupils’ safety, behaviour, transport and school facilities.

KHDA dealt with a total of 940 disputes between schools and parents in the past academic year, from September 2012 to June 2013. The regulator recently announced the launch of a pilot scheme which has seen the introduction of a school-parent contract at six private schools in Dubai.

The legally binding contract requires schools to specify their policies on fee payment, refunds and admissions, attendance and punctuality, holiday periods, health and safety, and school transport.

In return, parents must provide schools with accurate medical, psychological and educational assessment records of their children, and agree dates for paying school fees.

If the pilot scheme is successful school-parent contracts will be introduced to all of Dubai's 153 private school encompassing more than 220,000 pupils.

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