Fee hike for 51 private schools in Abu Dhabi approved; 39 rejected

Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec), the regulatory body of public and private schools in the UAE capital, on Tuesday said it received applications from 90 private schools to raise fees for the 2016-2017 academic year.

Adec’s concerned committees approved 51 applications for fee hike that met the eligibility criteria and rejected 39 requests for a fee increase among private schools. The schools included 15 implementing Asian curriculum and 75 implementing other curricula. The average fee increase was approximately 6 per cent, the regulatory authority said in a statement on Tuesday.

The approval has been issued after thoroughly reviewing and assessing all fee increase applications against the applicable regulations.

To qualify for a fee increase, schools must meet performance standards measured in annual inspections, according to the number of total points earned in each of the five basic standards.

Fee increase criteria include the improvement of human resources by recruiting quality teachers and focusing on professional development and salaries.

Investment in the maintenance of school buildings, facilities and extensions compared with the previous year is also a criterion. In addition, the percentage of Emiratis among the teaching, administrative and technical staff and students is considered. The admission of special needs students and provision of support needed for them are taken into account, said the statement.

A circular summarizing start date for submission of increase applications and eligibility criteria was sent to schools. The circular explained the importance of signing the application by school principal who takes full responsibility to ensure that the application is complete and that it fulfills all the requirements contained in the circular such as submitting schools audited accounts for the last two financial school years in accordance with the criteria set forth in Adec Private School Policy & Manual. Applications found to be incomplete should be rejected.

Moreover, the circular ensured that schools should maintain balance between school owners and parents’ rights. Criteria include: schools should have been operating for a minimum of three years; the level of performance should have been maintained according to Irtaqaa programme; the school should have a valid license during the submission of the application and have CCTV system installed by a certified company stating that the school cameras meets the requirements defined by Adec criteria, the statement said.

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