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Abu Dhabi school offers rebates for new pupils

Abu Dhabi - Up to 50 per cent discount for the first term.

With many parents staring at an uncertain future as they face salary cuts or lose jobs amid the Covid-19 pandemic, some schools in the UAE are trying to offer them support by slashing school fees for their new and existing enrollments.

Repton Abu Dhabi recently announced that the school will give rebates to students joining from FS1 to Year 13 for the first term, after which normal fees will be applicable.

Under this new initiative, the school has even launched a smart Artificial Intelligence (AI) pricing platform involving the use of advanced algorithms to compute personalised fee offers to prospective parents.

Marion Henriot, Chief Operating Officer of the Repton Family of Schools, said: “We are always looking at innovative ways to offer optimal value and affordable excellence to our community and beyond.”

While the school fees at Repton Abu Dhabi ranges from Dh61,000 for Year 2 to Dh74,000 in Year 13, Henriot explained how this new platform will work.

She added: “Artificial Intelligence Driven Algorithm (AIDA) assesses each enquiry in real-time to make sure we offer our new parents the best value proposition available while never compromising our exceptional quality.”

Another school, Repton Al Barsha (part of the Repton family), formerly named Foremarke School Dubai, has also announced the reduction in tuition fees, starting from the 2021-2022 academic year.

Students from Foundation Stage 1 to Year 6 will benefit from up to 16 per cent lower school tuition fees. Senior school parents will benefit from financial support for the next three academic years - 15 per cent off for existing parents and 10 per cent off for new parents.

Zoe Woolley, headmistress of Repton Al Barsha, underlined: “To be able to offer our parents a reduction in tuition fees is something we are immensely proud of. We understand many have faced financial challenges over the past few months, and we hope that this initiative, combined with our Repton Family Support Fund (RFSF), can be a form of much-needed support to parents and our school community.”

Easing financial pressure

Families remain steadfast in urging for continued discounts, as many struggle to pay fees after their income has been impacted by the pandemic.

Certain other school groups in the country are also extending their support in these challenging times.

Shahida Patel, Head of Admissions – Taaleem Schools, said: “We have reduced our fees in several of our schools at key entry points to make them more affordable options for new parents. This term, we have continued to support the loyalty of our current parents with a global discount offered at the onset of the Covid -19 crisis aimed to support them through any immediate financial difficulties. We have anyway kept our fees frozen in the majority of our schools for the past three years. Although affordability is a key concern, value for money is the proposition that most parents are actually seeking.”

Few other smaller schools in the country have also joined efforts to ease the financial burden faced by some families.

Deepa Vinod, Acting Principal, Oxford School Dubai, pointed out: “We are giving a discount of five per cent on tuition fees on the one-time payment of full fees. Apart from that we have a discount of 20 per cent (on tuition fees) for the admission of the second child and 30 per cent for the admission of the third child. In addition, we are also extending a 20 per cent discount on annual charges. These were the discounts given in the academic year 2020-21 and this will continue for 2021-22 as well.”