Today's Edition
TAARIQ HALIM (ABU DHABI)
From the start of the 2025/26 academic year, all schools in Abu Dhabi are required to be compliant with the Department of Education and Knowledge’s (ADEK) “School Policy on Fees”.
Aiming to ensure that fee structures are reasonable, transparent, and protect both the schools and the families, the policy stipulates, among others, that schools allow up to 10 tuition fee payments in an academic year, and do not prevent students from sitting for any examinations in response to late or non-payment of school fees.
However, schools may suspend a student for up to three days if school fees are not settled timeously, but only after issuing the three consecutive warning notices.
Test results, report cards and transfer certificates may also be withheld by schools, according to the policy.
Transparency
During the registration process, schools are required to break down the ADEK-approved school fees into the specific components, such as tuition fees, educational resource fees, uniform fees, transportation fees, extracurricular fees, etc.
School should clearly identify separate board examination fees.
Schools must disclose, in writing, complete information on fees, refund policies, deadlines for requesting refunds, and other related relevant information to parents during the registration process.
Schools are also to submit clear and accurate applications for approval to increase their school fees, according ADEK’s strict guidelines and timelines.
Schedules
Schools must publicly share detailed fee payment schedules on their websites and are authorised to enter into agreements/contracts with parents on adhering to their fee payment schedules.
In terms of the schedules, “schools shall enforce three or more equal tuition fee payment installments (e.g., 3, 4, or 10 installments) in each academic year”.
Schools are authorised to collect the first installment up to 1 month before the beginning of the first term.
Schools are allowed to charge registration fees capped at 5% of their ADEK-approved tuition fees, and may collect registration fees up to 4 months before the beginning of the academic year.
Late or Non-Payment of Fees
According to the policy, schools must honour the right of parents to a fair and reasonable payment system, without penalties. Schools must also maintain confidentiality and discretion on late payment or non-payment issues to protect students from unwanted attention and embarrassment.
As a response to unpaid fees, schools are to issue parents with “3 consecutive warning notices, each being at least 1 week apart”. Schools will then be authorised to suspend a student for up to 3 days, for at most once a school term.
Schools are allowed to withhold examination report cards, transfer certificates (or block a transfer on eSIS), and withhold re-enrolling a student until all outstanding dues on school fees are settled.
Schools shall inform parents in writing at least three months before the end of the academic year of the risk of their child not being re-enrolled in the next academic year unless outstanding fees are settled.
However, schools shall not prevent students from taking exams.
Compliance
Schools must report information regarding the source of tuition fee payments (e.g., parents, relatives, charity, companies), as well as any other payment-related information upon request, in line with the ADEK School Reporting Policy.
This School Policy on Fees was effective at the start of the 2024/25 academic year, but schools are expected to be fully compliant with this policy when the first term of 2025/26 commences.
ADEK warns that failure to comply with the policy will be subject to legal accountability and penalties.
