Parents face fees struggle

Dubai: More and more parents feel compelled to pay school fees in advance to secure a place for their child for the next semester.

Abrar Nayeem, director of a food company, fears his grade four son will not get a confirmed place unless he pays all fees in advance. He says it is a rule made by the management of the school, which is located in Sharjah.

Radhika Sharma, a banker in Dubai, agreed. She said as the population increases, it gets progressively difficult to find a good school.

"A parent is left with little choice but to pay the fees in advance. I have to pay about Dh20,000 for the next year," Sharma said. "It feels like highway robbery but what choice do you have?"

Loraine D'Souza, a homemaker and mother of two, still pays monthly and is thankful for this flexibility. She said: "I'm glad the school does not have a set schedule to pay fees. We pay monthly as it is hard to pay everything in one go."

Fasiha Khaiser agreed. As a mother of two, a major part of her monthly budget goes to paying the nursery school fees for her youngest child.

However, there are those who prefer to pay in advance rather than every month.

For Syed and Rafath Masood, paying the school fees on a quarterly basis "saves them many trips to school". As parents of 10-year-old Dania and 5-year-old Daanish, the Masoods like to convince their friends that it is more convenient to pay in advance.

Syed, a sales manager, said high fees are not a problem as as long as his children get the best education. "Though steep, high school fees are justified, considering the rate of inflation. It helps that my company pays education expenses. High fees will probably hurt parents who don't have such a facility," he said.