Coronavirus: UAE parents use Twitter to seek fee rebate

Parents of students attending the UAE's largest education group, GEMS Education, launched a public demand for a blanket fee reduction on social media on Friday.
The Twitter hashtags #HelpGEMSParents and #GemsComingTogether topped Twitter trends in the UAE on Friday, April 17. On one hand, GEMS Education parents took to Twitter demanding a blanket fee reduction by using the #HelpGEMSParents, voicing their concerns and their inability to afford the Term 3 fees amid the Covid-19 outbreak.
On the other hand, GEMS Education has offered a means-tested discount on school fees, subject to parents submitting their financial documents. The group said on Thursday, up to 20,000 students from the network will benefit from its relief package and parents who agree with the policies started an opposing Twitter trend #GemsComingTogether, which saw over 2,500 tweets from parents, principals, and teachers.
Nargish Khambatta, the head of GEMS Modern Academy tweeted, "Sometimes these things are difficult to explain. Thank you to all our parents @DxbModern who understand what @GEMSEducation is attempting with the #COVID19 relief fund." Tweeters on both sides of the argument have been tagging education authorities as well as the media in their grievances.
'We feel helpless'
However, #HelpGEMSParents trend has over 3,700 tweets on Twitter, and parents on the opposing side of the campaign are criticizing GEMS for not extending enough support to its parent community. Mohamed Mashood tweeted, "Very unprofessional way GEMS are going about the term fees. At an uncertain time like this, it's only fair to help the parents."

Another parent Nirmala told Khaleej Times, "At least 15,000 parents have signed a petition asking the group to provide a blanket fee reduction. In some cases, fee defaulting parents received an email from the school that said the child's remote learning programme will be stopped in seven days if the parent does not pay the fees." The parent added, "We feel suffocated and helpless. There are so many of us who can't even apply for the 'Relief Package' announced by GEMS."

Be transparent with each other: KHDA
The Emirate's education regulator has maintained that schools and parents need to maintain transparency with each other in the matter of 'school fees. "Some schools may be able to offer financial relief to all parents, while others can only give it to parents who need it most. If you feel uncomfortable giving your school your financial information, please ask them to share their general eligibility criteria with you. We encourage schools and parents to be as transparent with each other as possible during this time," said the Knowledge and Human Development Authority in its FAQs.

Targeted support for parents suffering income loss

On Thursday, Dino Varkey, chief executive officer at GEMS Education said COVID-19 Relief package will benefit more than 20,000 students across the GEMS network. According to Varkey, the Relief Package offers relief for term three tuition fees to those parents who have experienced income reductions, lost their jobs or businesses, or been placed on unpaid leave and who therefore now have limited means to settle tuition fees during this period of uncertainty.

"In all cases, the relief will be in excess of the typical blanket discounts offered by other UAE schools - typically 20 per cent and, in some cases of extreme hardship, discounts of 50 per cent or more," he said. Varkey said, "The Relief Package received thousands of applications from parents in just a matter of days, and GEMS Education teams have been working around the clock to process these in the shortest time possible and share with parents the level of tuition fee relief they will benefit from. We are directing assistance to parents who have lost a part of their income or their jobs entirely, as well as parents who are self-employed and have suffered business disruption."

"We firmly believe that this targeted approach is more equitable and effective in helping those who have been most impacted, enabling us to make a more meaningful difference," he explained.
Commenting on the social media campaign, a GEMS Education spokesperson said the group is committed to welcome applications from parents who have suffered income loss as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak.
"We are aware of an online petition around school fee discounts. We have been urging all GEMS Education families who have been impacted by the ongoing pandemic to apply for our Relief Package, which is set to benefit more than 20,000 students across our network, representing a very significant number of families.
It said, "The priority now is to ensure continuity of education; we must take into consideration the exceptional work of our teachers and academic staff, who are going beyond the call of duty to support students and their families. At the same time, we are thankful to parents for their patience and understanding, and we acknowledge their efforts to support their children's education in these challenging times."
dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com

Dhanusha Gokulan

dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com