Unpaid school fee may affect these Pakistani students

Dubai 175 Pakistani school children from 17 schools are being barred from attending classes

At least 175 Pakistani school children will not be able to appear for their upcoming exams due to unpaid school fees which, in some cases, hasn't been paid for over a year.
The children are currently studying in 17 schools across the country and are being barred from attending classes and will also not be able to sit for their final exams until their school fees are cleared, said a representative from the welfare committee of the Pakistan Association Dubai (PAD) that makes part contribution towards this fee.
Many children who cannot be stopped from attending school are currently not being allowed to sit in classes. "So they go to school regularly but are still missing out on their lessons," said Shahidul Islam, who is heading the PAD campaign titled "Education is Every Children's Basic Right".
This year, a total of Dh800,000 needs to be paid for these children to be able to attend school regularly. "And these are just the cases that have registered with us and are asking for help," he said.
Last year the association and community raised a total of Dh479,000 as school fee for similar cases.

'We can't sponsor anyone' The Pakistan Association Dubai (PAD) makes it clear that it will not bear the full burden but pays partly as term fees. "We are not sponsoring the children. If we do this, parents will misuse this facility and depend on us entirely," said Shahidul Islam, who is heading the PAD campaign titled "Education is Every Children's Basic Right". On a number of occasions, the welfare committee has requested Pakistani families to return to Pakistan so that they are able to continue with their children's education. "We have also offered to give them tickets to go back home but often we have been turned down because people say that they have been born and brought up here and will not be able to start a new beginning in Pakistan," Shahid said. "We can suggest but cannot force anyone." Pending school fee Dh800,000> Total amount to be paid by 175 schoolchildren this year Dh35,000 > Amount paid by PAD for five students to help them appear exams Dh388,534 > Outstanding fee of 67 students at Pakistani Education Academy Dh201,814 > Unpaid fee of 50 students at HH Shaikh Rashid Al Maktoum Pakistani School Dh100,379 > Amount 21 students from English Language School have to pay in fee Dh56,723 > Outstanding fee of 13 students at Pakistan Islamia Higher Secondary School Sharjah Dh479,000 > Amount raised by PAD last year to help students pay school fee

However, on a priority basis, the association has paid Dh35,000 for five children who are due to appear for board exams soon. "The school administrations were not issuing roll numbers for these students so we have requested that we will pay them in installments. In some cases, tuition fee still needs to be paid."
Currently, the highest amount of unpaid fees is for 67 students from The Pakistani Education Academy standing at a total of Dh388,534.
This is followed by 50 students from HH Sheikh Rashid Al Maktoum Pakistani School with an outstanding fee of Dh201,814.
Another 21 students from English Language School have an unpaid fee of Dh100,379 while 13 students from Pakistan Islamia Higher Secondary School Sharjah have an outstanding fee of Dh56,723.
The PAD's campaign resonates with the UAE's Year of Giving campaign that encourages the community to support children at Pakistani community schools.
"Earlier we used to only help students studying in Pakistani schools but when these schools could not accommodate anymore students, the parents looked for affordable schools elsewhere in Sharjah and Ajman. So we also have extended our help," explained Shahid.
Emergency situation
In February, officials from the Pakistan Consulate in Dubai said that a strategy to revamp the education system in Pakistani schools was being worked upon following warnings from the Knowledge and Human Resources Authority (KHDA) to close or de-list a number of educational institutes.
A senior official from the Overseas Pakistani Foundation (OPF) that runs a school system in Pakistan is expected to open schools in the UAE as well. The Pakistani school system is facing a crisis in the UAE with the authorities warning to close schools unless the quality of education is improved.
Habibur Rehman Gilani, managing director of OPF, had said that since this was an emergency situation, the issue was being tackled in urgency. "The schools are on the list to be either closed or de-listed. We will not let that happen," he said.
There are currently nine Pakistani mission schools in the UAE that have been run by missions until now. They are the cheapest schools in the country and are overcrowded.
The fees in Pakistani mission schools range roughly from Dh185 to Dh300 per month while some schools charge up to Dh500 a month for higher classes. This is far cheaper than fees in other schools in the UAE, which can reach up to Dh100,000 a year.
"We want to raise awareness on this important issue and ask the community to step forward and help these children complete their education," said Shahid.
asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE
• Dubai

Asma Ali Zain

• asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com