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300 parents up in arms against 40% school fees hike
300 parents protest but school says fee much lower than other schools.
About 300 parents of students of the Progressive English School (PES) in Sharjah gathered on the school premises on Sunday to protest against the 40 per cent hike in tuition fees. The parents also approached the Sharjah Education Zones (SEZ) and the Ministry of Education (MoE) with complaints and requests to waive off the hike, but in vain.
The school management had received approval for the fee hike from the Ministry of Education (MoE).
The approval, of which Khaleej Times has a copy, is issued by the private education department of MoE and signed by Ali Mehaid Al Suwaidi, Undersecretary of MoE and Assistant Director of the private education department.
Khaleej Times tried to contact the official at the department but there was no response.
Parents are disappointed at the ministry’s decision allowing the school to hike fees by 40 per cent at one go which is in contravention of an earlier law by the MoE itself. The earlier law issued in 2008 by former Minister of Education, Haneef Hassan, had capped fee increase by schools to 30 per cent depending on the quality and standard of education.
A second article of the law, however, exempts certain schools from the cap which will be considered on a case-to-case basis like, for example, a school which maintains the best standards and has not hiked the fees for the past three years.
What SEZ says
An official at the SEZ told Khaleej Times that a hike of only 10 per cent would be allowed and that too, only if the zone is convinced of the high standard of the school. A committee formed by the department will review the schools that have requested for a hike and then approve a hike based on the facilities provided and the standard of the school. “The committee will continue visiting these schools to ensure that they are abiding by the standards and rules that made them eligible for the hike,” the official stressed.
What parents say
Parents are of the opinion that though they can understand why the school is increasing the fee, the 40 per cent hike is much more than what they can afford.
Vinod N a parent said that according to an article reported in Khaleej Times, the Sharjah Education Zone can allow a hike of only between 3 and 10 per cent based on the standard and quality of education provided. “Then how come the Progressive English School has been allowed to increase the fee by 40 per cent?” he asks.
According to the ministry and the SEZ, an increase is permitted based on the standard and the quality of education provided. But this school does not meet most of the criteria, he added. “First of all, the school is run in two shifts due to lack of classrooms. The school does not have a playground and the air conditioning system does not work in the classrooms and buses. Teaching hours are also less due to the shift system. It has also been brought to light that the school had increased the fee by 10 per cent during the last academic year. That means the increase in the last two years is 50 per cent. We are ready to obey the rules, but the school should provide at least the minimum facilities to students,” he said.
Princess Philip, another parent said the management announced the 40 per cent increase after the first month of the academic year. The SEZ allows a 3 to 10 per cent fees hike on the basis of performance and facilities. As it is, we pay unnecessary fees every academic year — Dh200 for registration each year to ensure a seat for the next year; Dh300 e-learning for which the school screens two to three videos per year; and Dh200 for medical fee. How can the school be given permission to hike the fees by 40 per cent which is more than the maximum increase allowed by the ministry, which is 30 per cent? We parents have already complaint to SEZ but until now there is no response.”
Rajan Karunakaran, another parent noted that the huge hike has been allowed without any proper facilities in the school. There is no playground, no enough class rooms, no proper lab facilities. The school has been working in two shifts since the last two years. And a building is being constructed within the school premises in the last two years without proper safety measures.
Siby Thomas a parent quoted the Khaleej Times report and said the approved increase is a maximum of 10 per cent. He added that if the authorities concerned verify the standards of the school they will notice the following: Teaching time is very less compared to other schools; runs a second shift; air-conditioning not maintained properly; no space for children to play; and no library.
“Considering the above, we are not ready to pay the 40 per cent unless they provide all the facilities available at other schools following the same fee structure.”
What the management says
Speaking to Khaleej Times, Dr AS Judson, Managing-Director of PES said the management obtained an approval from the MoE since the ministry realised that the school charges the lowest fees compared to other schools provide the same services. “In fact, we are the only school in Sharjah that provides the ICSE curriculum which is considered the best education system.”
He said while other schools charge Dh1,000 per month as fee for a KG1 student, PES charges Dh330 for KG1 and 2; Dh350 for grades 1 to 5; Dh470 for grade 6 to 9; and Dh580 for grades 10 to 12.
He added that the management was able to convince the ministry of the school’s situation. “Parents have to pay only Dh130 extra for KG1 and 2 and about Dh140 for the other primary classes. We have not hiked the transportation fees and fees for other services. We charge between Dh200 and Dh240 for students coming from Sharjah, Ajman and Dubai, while other schools charge a minimum of Dh350 per month.
“We also help parents who have more than three kids. The third child is allowed to study and travel for free and the fourth child has to pay only 50 per cent of the fee. We also don’t prevent students who have failed to pay the fees from appearing for exams as many other schools do. We help parents who can’t afford to pay the fees, if they explain their situation. We allow their children to study for free,” Dr. Judson said.
He said the school provides free WiFi and e-learning facilities directly from Delhi. By next year all students will be provided with IPads to help with their learning,” he said.
To improve the standard and quality of education, the management is working on expansion which will be completed by the next academic year said Dr. Judson. Expansion includes construction of a multipurpose auditorium, computer and science labs, covered play areas for KG students and separate play areas for girls and boys, library, offices and a music room. “I’m spending Dh10 million to improve the standard of the school based on the MoE criteria, but in order to achieve all this, parents must help me and agree to pay the extra fee so I can repay the bank loan.”
Dr. Judson showed Khaleej Times letters by parents requesting for help with fee, and several instances of fee waiver and fee discount approvals.
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