Parents forced to pay fees in advance

Dubai: It feels like highway robbery but what choice do you have? This is how many parents feel as they are forced to pay school fees in advance to secure their child's admission for the next semester.

Abrar Nayeem, director of a food company, fears that his grade four son would not be confirmed to continue in the next term, unless the fees are paid in advance. It is a rule laid down by the management of the school, which is located in Sharjah.

Radhika Sharma, a banker in Dubai, agreed. She said that as the UAE's population increases, it gets progressively difficult to find a good school for your child. "So, a parent is left with very little choice but to pay the fees in advance. I pay around Dh42,000 for an academic year and have to pay about Dh20,000 for the next year," Sharma said.

Does paying school fees in advance affect your budget? Would you consider changing schools if payment rules are inconvenient ? Why?