Dubai's KHDA Gets Tough on Parent/School Contracts
An unknown number of Dubai private school students have been suspended with the request they do not return to class until their parent/school contract has been completed according to information sent to WhichSchoolAdvisor.com.
The contract is designed to protect parents, students and schools by clarifying responsibilities amongst all parties.
Amal Belhasa, Chief of Compliance and Resolution Commission (CRC) of the KHDA told WhichSchoolaAvisor.com in July, "there will be certain consequences... if registration is not completed on time."
“The contract is a mandatory part of the student registration step, thus it will be done and expected for completion at the same time of students registration deadline," she said.
Those consequences are beginning to be rolled out. For those who have not yet completed the contract, the KHDA has asked schools to suspend applicable students until the contracts are signed. The KHDA has also suspended services to any schools not complying with these regulations.
The KHDA suspended services to numerous schools in December 2015, however, due to the festive holidays the policy had negligible impact on operations a source told WhichSchoolAdvisor.com.
"It is likely that the larger schools had the biggest problem. I haven’t heard of pupil suspension but I imagine it may have pushed the parents along that bit quicker," said the source.
Many parents have found the process to be simple and straightforward, particularly when schools have put in place systems and timetables for signing.
The KHDA implemented the parent/school contracts to all Dubai private schools in September 2015.
The contract was designed to clarify the rights and responsibilities of parents and schools, and includes clauses on school fees, extra-curricular charges, attendance, assessment, dispute resolution and anti-bullying policy, among others.
The KHDA introduced the initial pilot contract programme to 58 schools in 2013.
After the success of the pilot scheme the previous year, June 2014 saw a further 10,000 students and 24 schools covered in phase two, more than 50 percent of which, were Emirati.
Later in January 2015, the KHDA implemented phase three of its programme by rolling out contracts in all 34 Indian and Pakistani schools across Dubai, impacting over 80,000 students, (approximately 33 per cent of the student population in Dubai’s private schools).
The contract includes details of the school’s most recent inspection as rated by the Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau, its teaching days and holidays, and a breakdown of all costs payable by parents throughout the academic year.
Schools will now only be able to finalise a student’s enrolment once the contract has been signed by the parents.
Also Popular:
Ditch Homework and Discover 'Home Learning' Instead
