Dina Jouni (Dubai)
Educators stressed the importance of the initiative presented by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, may God protect him, to the parents of students residing in the country and enrolled in government schools in various regions of the country, by paying their financial dues at a cost of about 155 million dirhams. They pointed out that the wise leadership has always placed education and learners on the list of priorities without distinguishing between citizens and expatriates.
The initiative of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan comes as an embodiment of the values of giving rooted in the society of the UAE, and within the framework of His Highness’s approach to continuous support for his students, and providing all the reasons for their success and distinction in their educational and learning career.
The Emirates School Education Foundation will work to coordinate the initiative, identify the students targeted by the initiative, and calculate the remaining fees for them.
The number of expatriate students registered in government schools in various regions of the country is approximately 21,64 male and female students.
Students are distributed among schools in the emirates of the country as follows: Abu Dhabi 5847, Sharjah 1658, Al Sharqiya 334, Al Dhafra 3480, Al Ain 4080, Fujairah 417, Umm Al Quwain 550, Dubai 1603, Ras Al Khaimah 1382, Ajman 1686.
Generous initiatives
Educational expert Noura Al Muhairi said: “It is not strange for His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, may God protect him, to launch this type of generous initiatives, which represent a role model for goodness and providing it to every needy person in various sectors.”
She said that the initiative of His Highness the President of the State undoubtedly brought great joy to the hearts of expatriate parents who did not pay school fees this year, as if Eid had come early for those families.
She said that His Highness the President of the State gave and gave to everyone without exception, calling for families to be able to live happily on the land of the Emirates of Charity.
In turn, educational expert and former school principal, Ali Malallah Al-Suwaidi, said that it is not easy for school administrations to apply fee requirements to students who are unable to pay fees, but in the end the principal must follow the approved official rules and procedures. He pointed out that the guardian is often delayed due to the delay in disbursing dues received from charitable organizations that cover several sectors, and therefore the payment of aid is made through specific schedules that are followed.
He considered that the initiatives of His Highness the President of the State have always covered the education sector through generous initiatives that it is not strange for the UAE to provide to its residents.
Payment controls
The Emirates School Education Foundation announced the policy and controls for paying fees and collection mechanisms from students residing in government schools for the next academic year 2024-2025. Two methods were adopted to pay the fees amounting to 6,000 dirhams: the first is to pay the full fees before the beginning of the academic year, or to pay in installments, with the first and second payments being 3,000 or 2,000 dirhams at the beginning of each semester.
The institution has developed several options for making payments, including: electronic payment through the instant service on the institution’s website, which provides the guardian with multiple payment options, including credit cards, digital wallets, and direct transfer.
The institution has set five general requirements: a pledge to pay all fees on time, and the school has the right to warn the guardian in writing a maximum of 3 times. In the event of failure to pay fees on time, the school has the right to withhold the result from the student at the end of the academic year, and not to issue certificates. Moving until school fees are settled. The student is not allowed to be promoted to the next academic year in the event of failure to pay the due fees, bearing in mind that the paid tuition fees are non-refundable.
Rules and requirements
The Emirates Foundation for School Education has set a number of rules and requirements for accepting resident students in government schools, which are that students be registered in grades starting from the second to the twelfth, and distinguished children of residents who work in the federal or local government sector are accepted in government schools, provided that student density is taken into account. The student’s percentage in the Arabic language, English language, and mathematics subjects must not be less than 90% or its equivalent in the grade description system (AB), for the last two years.
The acceptance rate for resident students should not exceed 20% of the total number of students.
An exception is made for accepting students residing in areas that are 50 km or more from the nearest private school in the first grade and other grades without applying the excellence condition, and preference is given to students with outstanding academic performance in the event of limited vacancies. Resident students’ applications are approved at the end of the academic year, and the guardian must provide the final academic certificates in the second stage to approve the registration process, in addition to providing a statement of leaving school with a release from tuition fees.
The responsibility of ensuring that the student maintains a seat in the educational system is the responsibility of the guardian, and the institution does not bear any responsibility towards the student and his guardian if the registration application is not approved or rejected, as the initial approval is not considered final approval for the student’s enrollment for the next year.
If the guardian wishes to enroll the student in a school outside the geographical scope of the school, he can do so if firstly the student density allows, with priority for admission to students from the residential area of the school, and secondly obtaining a written acknowledgment from the guardian to provide transportation for the student.
Collection mechanism
During the last academic year, the school branches discussed the mechanism for collecting and following up on the accumulated debts for tuition fees for foreign students, and the following points were focused on:
1. Implementing a mechanism to follow up on the collection of tuition fees (starting with the school administration communicating with parents and reminding them of the need to pay the amounts due).
2. In the event that parents are unable to pay the fees, they are directed by the school administration to submit a request to the approved charitable organizations according to the school’s location for each emirate.
3. The school administration submits a report with the list of accumulated fees and their status and clarifies them to the school branches for study and review.
4. The school branch administration submits a final report to the Financial Resources Department to study the cases and address charitable organizations to pay the accumulated debts.
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