School fees in Abu Dhabi

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Private school tuition fees in Abu Dhabi emirate, includes Al Ain, Al Gharbia

School tuition fees in Abu Dhabi are regulated by the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK), previously the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC), renamed in 2017. Abu Dhabi emirate includes Al Ain, Al Ruwais, Gayathi, Al Gharbiya (Western Region).

Registration fees

ADEC information for 2013-2014 fees says "When charged, registration fees are deductible from the tuition fees. They must not be more than 5% of the annual tuition fee."

Overdue school fees from 2009-2012 in Abu Dhabi paid by Sheikh Khalifa, President of the UAE

16 Aug 2012 - WAM reported that All expatriate students at Abu Dhabi public schools were exempted from overdue tuition fees for the past three years upon directives from President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
This followed an earlier statement by ADEC instructing expatriate students in public schools to pay overdue fees from the past few years.
The total amount overdue was reported as AED 192 million from 15,750 students. Since the statement referred to students in "public schools", presumably that means that students in private schools still have to pay up any outstanding amounts.

School fee increases in Abu Dhabi

2014-2015 school fee increases in Abu Dhabi

Updates and fee increases
- Al Ittihad Private School Abu Dhabi, 5% increase from AED 17,250-35,362 in 2013-2014 to AED 18,100-37,100.
- British International School Abu Dhabi fees, 3% increase from AED 46,497-61,349 in 2013-2014 to AED 47,900-63,200.
07 Oct 2014: ADEC said they had fined 17 schools for charging more than the approved school fees but did not say which schools (press release, not found).
03 Sep 2014 (EB24-7): ADEC said they would publish on their website a list of schools with approved fee increases, but not until next week. An anonymous official was quoted as saying "ADEC is still not sharing that" (web) link because there are cases still awaiting final decision after their appeal". Update Oct ... Nov ... Dec 2014: still no sign of the promised list from ADEC on their website. [Check] Might include the following schools:
Abu Dhabi
- Cambridge High School – Abu Dhabi
- Elite Private School – Abu Dhabi
- International School of Choueifat – Abu Dhabi
- International School of Choueifat Khalifa City - increase of about 2%.
- Modern Private School – Abu Dhabi
- The Model Private School – Abu Dhabi
- Twenty First Century Private Academy – Abu Dhabi
- United School of Baniyas
- Upper Wisdom Private School – Abu Dhabi
- Vision Private School – Abu Dhabi
Al Ain
- Gulf International Private Academy School
- International School of Choueifat – Al Ain
- Our Own English High School – Al Ain
- Pakistani Islamic Private School – Al Ain
- Palestine Private School – Al Ain
- Scientific Distinction Private School – Al Ain
- Sunflower Private School
- United School of Al Yahar
- Universal Private School – Al Ain
- Zakher Private School
18 May 2014 announcement: ADEC rejected fee increase applications from 43 schools, and approved applications from 39 schools (23 in Abu Dhabi Municipality area, 16 in Al Ain, none in Al Garbia) with an average increase of 6%, but did not give names of schools with approved fee increases.

2013-2014 fee increases in Abu Dhabi

The 9 schools listed below were permitted a fee increase of 5%-25% by ADEC (09 Sep 2013, Emirates 24-7):

Abu Dhabi city:
- Al Ittihad National Private School (Abu Dhabi city branch), 66% bus transport fee increase.
- Al Worood Academy Private School, 10% tuition fees increase.
- [Disallowed] British International School Abu Dhabi (BISAD), ordered by ADEC to refund 5% increase charged to parents.
- Goodwill Childrens School, 5% increase in tuition fees.
- Rosary Private School, 15% tuition fees increase.
- The Model Private School, 15% tuition fee increase.
Al Ain city:
- Al Sanawbar Private School, 30% increase in bus transport charges.
- Darul Huda Private School, 3% increase in tuition fees.
- Ibn Khaldoon Islamic Private School (not Ibn Khaldoun Public School, also in Al Ain), 25% increase in tuition fees. Except 2013-2014 fee schedule from ADEC does not appear to have adjusted fee amounts.
- Liwa International School, 5% tuition fee increase and 20% increase in transport charges.

ADEC report for 2013-2014 (undated) said "63 schools applied for fee increases for 2013/2014 out of which 8 were approved as they met ADEC applied standards and regulations." Names of schools with increased fees not given.

[Check] Might include:

Al Hamdanyah Grand Private School
Al Sedeeq Private School
Darul Huda Islamic Private School
Global English Private School (Al Ain?)

Abu Dhabi
- International School of Choueifat – Abu Dhabi
- Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Bangladesh Islamia Private School
Al Ain
Al Gharbia - Western Region
- Al Ruwais Private School (managed by the International School of Choueifat)
- Glenelg School of Abu Dhabi (Ghayathi Campus)

2012-2013 fee increases for schools in Abu Dhabi

About 30 private schools received approval from ADEC to increase 2012-2013 fees by up to 9%, out of 67 schools that applied for an increase, according to a GN report 30 Aug 2012 of comments by Hamad Al Daheri, Executive Director for Private Schools and Quality Assurance at ADEC. Names of schools which increased fees not supplied.

2011-2012 Abu Dhabi fee increases

The Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) said (20 July 2011, and again on 17 August 2011):

Out of 181 private schools in the emirates of Abu Dhabi, 121 schools would not increase fees for tuition, books, uniforms or transport.
20 schools were denied permission to increase tuition fees.
Of the 60 schools permitted an increase, 31 in Abu Dhabi, 24 in Al Ain, 5 in Western Region (Al Garbia). Curriculums followed are 18 with UAE MOE curriculum, 19 with US or UK, 14 with Asian, the other 9 following IB, French, Canadian or Japanese. Average increase of 6.6% for tuition fees, 5.3% for books, 12.3% for transport, 0.7% for uniforms. Requested increases ranged from 5-208% for fees, 5-339% for books, 10-129% for transport, and 5-371% for uniforms.
Actual increases and school names not supplied.

2010-2011 fee increases in Abu Dhabi

Maximum permitted increase by ADEC is 5%? Other reports said up to 20% increase allowed? Unknown if that can be overruled by the UAE MOE, as in Dubai.

A report in Al Ittihad newspaper 01 Sep 2010 said ADEC had received applications from some schools for fee increases of up to 100%, but limited them to a 5% rise - quoting the ADEC adviser Yousuf Al Shiryani as saying "... we approved only those which asked for a five per cent rise and only in some special cases".
Names of schools were not supplied, but the American Community School of Abu Dhabi appears to be one of them.
A WAM news report 20 September 2010 said ADEC has approved fee increase requests for 28 schools accounting for 5.7% of the 186 private schools operating in Abu Dhabi. The majority of requesting schools were granted 5% increase of fees, although most schools requested an increase of at least 23.4% of their fees.

References

Last update Friday 25-Oct-2019.

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