Dubai: Parents might want to be a hundred per cent sure of the school they choose to enrol their child in before paying a non-refundable down payment that can reach up to Dh10,000.

According to the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) schools fee framework, private schools in Dubai can charge up to 20 per cent of the school’s tuition fees for existing students and 30 per cent of the fees for new students as a confirmation that they will opt for the reserved seats.

The KHDA report says that these fees are non-refundable if students choose not to take the reserved seats except under special circumstances. These include evidence of family travel to another country, a move to another Emirate or any unforeseen circumstances.

Many parents, like Harish Chainani, believe that schools should make the KHDA policy clear before charging money that is not refundable to avoid losing considerable amounts of money.

Chainani who decided to withdraw his son from Ambassador Kindergarten after paying the Dh5,850 down payment claims he was given false information about the deductible fee.

“I paid the down payment requested by the school to reserve a seat for my son, after I was told that only 30 per cent of the amount I paid will be deducted, by a lady from admissions.”

He said the lady told him he will be receiving the remaining balance.

“I thought to myself, that would be around Dh1,800, which I don’t mind paying if he got accepted to a better school and so went on with the application process.”

Chainani also said he signed papers that said 30 per cent will be deducted from the tuition fees as part of the registration process.

False information

Once Chainani’s son got accepted to another school, which he and his wife preferred, he said upon withdrawing his son’s application, he was told that he will not receive any balance because 30 per cent of the whole tuition fee will be deducted and not from the first term that he paid for.

“If I knew this was the case I wouldn’t have gone through with the process, the contract said 30 per cent will be deducted from the tuition fees it didn’t say from the whole term. I believe I was also given false information by the lady. My wife and I are middle class working parents and such an amount is a large sum of money.”

A spokesperson from Ambassadors Kindergarten commented on Chainani’s case saying: “Ambassadors Kindergarten follows the regulation of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA). It even added an additional signed measure that mentions the 30 per cent non-refundable deduction, which Chainani has signed. ”

Commenting on the issue, Amal Bel Hasa, Acting Chief of Regulations and Permits Commission at KHDA said: “This is a non-refundable deposit introduced to ensure parents commit to school places before the start of the school year. However if a family leaves Dubai, the deposit is refundable. Parents would need to contact the school directly to discuss this.”

Despite many parents believing that schools are responsible to ensure that parents are aware of such policies, others, like Bassem Al Khatib, strongly believed that it is the parents themselves who should be aware of them.

“I always study all my options and ask other parents about their experiences to make sure of my choice before paying anything. It is a shame to lose the amount you paid as it can, at times, be costly”, said the father of three.

Random private schools

To learn more about the range of admission and down payment fees Gulf News looked at the fee structure of random private schools in Dubai and found the following:

Cambridge International School in Dubai charges a Dh4,000 non-refundable admission fee, while GEMS Wellington international school charges an admission fee of Dh10,000, which is also non-refundable if a student withdraws prior to the start of the academic year.

Dubai International academy charges Dh7,000 non-refundable annual enrolment admission fee for new students and Dh3,000 for existing students. Deira Private school’s non-refundable registration fees start from Dh5,850 and reaches Dh9,100 in year 6.

Amal Mohammad, mother of four children believes that the deposits should not be so high and should be refunded, unless the parent fails to inform the school in sufficient time.

“If the child didn’t even start school, and told the school a month or two before classes commence, I believe the money should be refunded because the school would be able to find another child to take that seat,” she said.